The Olympians Read the Books
by Hinata001
Summary: Hera is safe but Olympus is still in lock down. One day while Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera are arguing Apollo comes rushing in with several books about the lasts few years. What will everyone think? Includes major gods, minor gods, and others. Spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series. I am simply doing this for fun and not profit.

The Olympian Gods were arguing. It was the usual site on Mount Olympus but the argument was far from the ordinary ones that usually took place. The center of the argument was Gaea's rising and Hera's risky exchange of Percy Jackson and Jason Grace. The two boys' fathers were furious. Though Hera was Zeus's wife, not even that could stop him from being furious at her for endangering his son. Poseidon was possibly worse. Every god on Olympus knew how much he cared for his son Percy. The fact that it was not just Hera's jealousy over Zeus having another demigod child didn't calm either of them down.

"Hey guys I just got these awesome books from the Muses!" The gods that were not fighting looked at Apollo, who had just come bounding eagerly into the throne room in the middle of the argument like he was crazy. Artemis sighed at her twin brother's stupidity, while even Hermes shook his head. Hades sighed and got up, Athena with him. They looked at each other as if coming to an agreement.

"They're about Percy Jackson and Jason Grace!" At that the argument fell silent and the whole throne room stared at Apollo stunned.

"What about my son?" Poseidon asked, making his way to his fisherman's throne and sitting wearily in it followed by Zeus and Hera who sat down in their thrones as well. Hades and Athena followed soon after.

"Well, the first five books are about Percy's adventures and the Second Titan War while the sixth one is about Jason and two other half-bloods." Apollo held up a book with _Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero _written on the front. He snapped his fingers and the book disappeared to be replaced by a different one. "This is the first book, _Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief._"

"Why do most of these books have to be about that ungrateful half-blood?" Zeus muttered irritably. Most of the gods just sighed but Poseidon glared at Zeus.

"That 'ungrateful half-blood' is my son. Have you perhaps forgotten so soon _brother _that it is because of him that the Titans were defeated and Olympus saved?" Poseidon's eyes flashed and a storm started to form somewhere over the Atlantic. Poseidon and Zeus glared at each other.

"Father, Uncle, stop it, we do not want another repeat of the fight you two had in the first book. I suggest we read it. It is wise to know what mistakes were made in the war so that we are better prepared in the future." She stared at all of the gods as she said this, reminding them that history was repeating itself right at this very moment.

"I agree." It was the soft spoken Hestia who agreed first, followed surprisingly by Hades and Dionysus. Poseidon agreed next followed by Hermes, Artemis, Aphrodite, Hephaestus, Demeter, Ares, and Persephone. All the minor gods in attendance agreed. Finally only two were left. All eyes turned to Zeus and Hera. Nobody would read the books without the King and Queen of the Gods' permission.

It was Zeus who relented. He sighed and said "Very well." Hera glared at him but said nothing. Apollo grinned and bounded up to his throne. He took a seat and opened the book.

**Chapter 1: I Accidently Vaporize my Pre-Algebra Teacher.**

Poseidon glared at Hades and Zeus who looked guiltily away from him. Hera huffed in disgust. Half-bloods were nothing but trouble.

Apollo and Hermes grinned. "I always knew there was something I liked about that kid," Apollo said. Artemis rolled her eyes at her brother.

**Look I didn't want to be a half-blood.**

All of the gods but Hera and Hestia looked guilty at this. Hestia looked solemn and understanding. Apollo looked at her and knew she was the true representation of family, not Hera; she was the goddess of the hearth and the home. He smiled at her warmly before continuing to read.

**If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is:**

Dionysus snorted. "This won't end well."

**close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life.**

Poseidon closed his eyes and sighed. Athena looked at him sympathetically. It was obvious that Poseidon loved his son and that his biggest regret was that Percy was always in danger and could never live a normal life, especially as the son of one of the Big Three. It was also obvious that he cared for Percy's mother very greatly.

**Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.**

Poseidon gripped the edge of his seat. Zeus and Poseidon looked at him worriedly. The rest of the gods were mourning their lost children, or children of other gods that they had watched over. Even the minor gods were mourning all the children they had lost in the war with Kronos.

**If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened.**

**But if you recognize yourself in these pages—if you fell something stirring inside—stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before **_**they **_**sense it too, and they'll come for you.**

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

"No amount of warning can protect them son," Poseidon said solemnly. Athena frowned, remembering Percy's fatal flaw. This was definitely a sign of that.

"He's a really good kid," Areadne, Dionysus's wife said. Everyone nodded. Percy was a true hero.

**My name is Percy Jackson.**

Dionysus snorted. "No, it's Peter Johnson." But even then he said it quietly and without as much heart as he usually did.

**I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.**

**Am I a troubled kid?**

Poseidon chuckled half-heartedly. "Yeah. You could say that."

"Most demigods are." Athena said in her all-knowing voice.

**Yeah. You could say that.**

Everyone chuckled or grinned at that.

**I could start at any point in my short miserable life to prove it, but things really started going bad last May, when our sixth-grade class took a field trip to Manhattan—twenty-eight mental-case kids and two kids on a yellow school bus, heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at ancient Greek and Roman stuff.**

"Sounds like torture," Poseidon said and Apollo laughed causing everyone in the room to stare at him like he was crazy, which was nothing new.

**I know—it sounds like torture.**

Everyone laughed at this.

"Like father, like son," Athena said smiling.

**Most Yancy field trips were.**

**Mr. Brunner was this middle-aged guy in a motorized wheelchair. He had thinning hair and a scruffy beard and a frayed tweed jacket which always smelled like coffee.**

Dionysus lifted his head up from the game in his head. "Yes, it's Chiron," he said, answering the questioning looks most people were sending him.

**You wouldn't think he'd be cool, but he told stories and jokes and let us play games in class, He also had this collection of Roman armor and weapons, so he was the only teacher whose class didn't put me to sleep. **

Athena rolled her eyes at this and muttered something about spawn.

**I hoped this trip would be okay. At least I hoped that for once I wouldn't get in trouble.**

Poseidon shook his head and chuckled. "Not going to happen, son," he said warmly.

**Boy, was I wrong.**

Poseidon just sighed and smiled despite knowing that Percy would be facing a Fury on that trip. He knew he would be overprotective when it got to that part, but right now he reminded himself that a Fury wasn't the worst thing Percy had faced. That thought didn't help his nerves and he frowned.

**See, bad things happen to me on field trips.**

"Not just on field trips son," Poseidon corrected the absent Percy.

**Like at my fifth-grade school, when we went to the Saratoga battlefield, I had this accident with a Revolutionary War cannon. I wasn't aiming at the school bus, but of course I got expelled anyway.**

Everyone laughed. Apollo and Hermes grinned at each other and Hera glared at them.

**And before that, at my fourth-grade school, when we took a behind-the-scenes tour of the Marine World shark pool, I sort of hit the wrong lever on the catwalk and our class took an unplanned swim. And the time before that… Well, you get the idea.**

"Your son is so cool Uncle," Hermes said in between bouts of laughter.

**This trip, I was determined to be good.**

Athena sighed and shook her head. "Not going to work."

**All the way into the city, I put up with Nancy Bobofit, the freckly redheaded kleptomaniac girl, hitting my best friend Grover in the head with chunks of peanut butter-and-ketchup sandwich.**

"Disgusting!" "Eww!" The goddess all gagged at that. Even the gods looked disgusted. Dionysus's eyes darkened.

**Grover was an easy target. He was scrawny. He cried when he got frustrated. He must've been held back several grades, because he was the only sixth grader with acne and the start of a wispy beard on his chin. On top of all that, he was crippled.**

"Don't let Grover hear you say that," Dionysus said chuckling but there was a dark edge to it that made everyone lean away from him, remembering that he was the god of madness.

**He had a note excusing him from PE for the rest of his life because he had some kind of muscular disease in his legs. He walked funny, like every step hurt him, but don't let that fool you. You should've seen him run when it was enchilada day in the cafeteria.**

Dionysus huffed. "What was he thinking, almost blowing his cover like that," he muttered.

**Anyway, Nancy Bobofit was throwing wads of sandwich stuck in his curly brown hair, and she knew I couldn't do anything back to her because I was already on probation. The headmaster had threatened me with death **

"What!" The sound of a tidal wave could be heard from Olympus as Poseidon's shout filled the throne room, one hand gripping an arm of his throne, the other his trident.

**by in-school suspension if anything bad, embarrassing, or even mildly entertaining happened on this trip.**

"Oh," Poseidon looked sheepish, blushing as he loosened his grip on his throne and his trident, but not totally. Everyone else laughed.

"Whose being the dramatic one now Poseidon? And you said I should have been the god of theater," Zeus said through his laughter.

"You have to admit all three of us have a tendency to be dramatic," Hades chuckled.

"I have a feeling whatever happens is going to be very good, especially with the chapter title," Hermes said, grinning at Apollo who grinned back.

"**I'm going to kill her," I mumbled.**

**Grover tried to calm me down. "It's okay. I like peanut butter."**

**He dodged another piece of Nancy's lunch. **

"**That's it." I started to get up, but Grover pulled me back to my seat.**

"**You're already on probation," he reminded me. "You know who'll get blamed if anything happens."**

**Looking back on it, I wished I'd decked Nancy Bobofit right then and there.**

**In-school suspension would've been nothing compared to the mess I was about to get myself into.**

Poseidon sighed. "And yet that was nothing compared to the rest of the trouble you get yourself into."

**Mr. Brunner led the museum tour.**

**He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery.**

**It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for two thousand, three thousand years.**

"Longer than that," Athena corrected.

**He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big stone sphinx on the top, and started telling us how it was a grave marker, a **_**stele**_**, for a girl about our age.**

There was silence for a moment in the throne room.

**He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say, because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, the other teacher chaperone, Mrs. Dodds, would give me the evil eye.**

Poseidon glared at Hades and Zeus who looked guiltily away again.

**Mrs. Dodds was this little math teacher from Georgia who always wore a black leather jacket, even though she was fifty years old. She looked mean enough to ride a Harley right into your locker. She had come to Yancy halfway through the year, when our last math teacher had a nervous breakdown.**

Hades grinned madly, remembering what had happened to that teacher.

**From her first day, Mrs. Dodds loved Nancy Bobofit and figured I was the devil spawn.**

Apollo chuckled. "No, that would be Hades' son.

**She would point her crooked finger at me and say, "Now, honey," real sweet, and I knew I was going to get after-school detention for a month.**

**One time, after she'd made me erase answers out of old math workbooks until midnight, I told Grover I didn't think Mrs. Dodds was human. He looked at me, real serious, and said, "You're absolutely right."**

Dionysus huffed.

**Mr. Brunner kept talking about Greek funeral art.**

**Finally, Nancy Bobofit snickered something about the naked guy on the stele and I turned around ans said, "Will you shut up?"**

**It came out louder than I meant it to.**

**The whole group laughed. Mr. Brunner stopped his story.**

"Aww come on, it was a good story!" Apollo exclaimed sarcastically.

"**Mr. Jackson," did you have a comment?"**

**My face was totally red. I said, "No sir."**

**Mr. Brunner pointed to one of the pictures on the stele. "Perhaps you'll tell us what this picture represents?"**

"Why do I have a feeling that this picture is important?" Poseidon asked.

Apollo smirked and kept reading.

**I looked at the carving, and felt a flush of relief, because I actually recognized it. "That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"**

Everyone but Apollo was stunned.

"Well if that isn't foreshadowing I don't know what is," Poseidon muttered. It just had to be that picture.

"**Yes," Mr. Brunner said, obviously not satisfied.**

"**And he **_**did **_**this because…" **

"**Well…" I racked my brain to remember. "Kronos was the king god and—"**

"GOD!" Zeus's fury rivaled that of when he was arguing with Hera before the book.

"He was only twelve at the time Zeus," surprisingly Athena defended, "and if he didn't know then he certainly does now."

"**god?" Mr. Brunner asked.**

"**Titan," I corrected myself. **(Athena smirked and Poseidon relaxed) **"And… he didn't trust his kids, who were the gods. So, um, Kronos ate them, right?" But his wife hid baby Zeus, and gave Kronos a rock to eat instead.**

**And later, when Zeus grew up, he tricked his dad, Kronos, into barfing up his brothers and sisters—"**

"**Eeew!" said one of the girls behind me.**

"That doesn't even begin to describe it," All five eldest gods that had been eaten said together. Poseidon and Hades glared at Zeus who ignored them, lost in memory. A few minutes later after the eldest gods had calmed Apollo continued reading.

"—**and so there was this big fight between the gods and the Titans," I continued, "and the gods won."**

Dionysus snorted. "Well that just summed up both the First and Second Titan Wars in less than a sentence."

**Some snickers from the group.**

**Behind me, Nancy Bobofit mumbled to a friend, "Like we're going to use this in real life. Like it's going to say on our job applications, 'please explain why Kronos ate his kids.'"**

"Well you never know," the goddess of wisdom said.

"**And why, Mr. Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, "to paraphrase Miss Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?"**

Busted," Dionysus muttered.

"**Busted," Grover muttered.**

Everyone laughed.

""**Shut up," Nancy hissed, her face even brighter than her hair.**

"Eww!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

**At least Nancy got packed, too. Mr. Brunner was the only one who ever caught her saying anything wrong. He had radar ears.**

"I seriously doubt it, horses ears maybe," Poseidon said chuckling.

**I thought about his question, and shrugged. "I don't know, sir." **

**"I see." Mr. Brunner looked disappointed. "Well, half credit, Mr. Jackson. Zeus did indeed feed Kronos a mixture of mustard and wine, which made him disgorge his other five children, who, of course, being immortal gods, had been living and growing up completely undigested in the Titan's stomach. The gods defeated their father, sliced him to pieces with his own scythe, and scattered his remains in Tartarus, the darkest part of the Underworld. On that happy note, it's time for lunch. Mrs. Dodds, would you lead us back outside?"**

"Yes, that was a really happy story," Artemis said sarcastically.

**The class drifted off, the girls holding their stomachs, the guys pushing each other around and acting like doofuses.**

**Grover and I were about to follow when Mr. Brunner said, "Mr. Jackson."**

**I knew that was coming.**

**I told Grover to keep going. Then I turned toward Mr. Brunner. "Sir?"**

**Mr. Brunner had this look that wouldn't let you go— intense brown eyes that could've been a thousand years old and had seen everything.**

"Observant," Athena admitted, "but maybe not everything."

**"You must learn the answer to my question," Mr. Brunner told me.**

**"About the Titans?"**

**"About real life. And how your studies apply to it."**

"Well, he did learn it," Poseidon said sadly.

**"Oh."**

**"What you learn from me," he said, "is vitally important. I expect you to treat it as such. I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson."**

**I wanted to get angry, this guy pushed me so hard.**

**I mean, sure, it was kind of cool on tournament days, when he dressed up in a suit of Roman armor and shouted: "What ho!'" and challenged us, sword-point against chalk, to run to the board and name every Greek and Roman person who had ever **_**lived, **_**and their mother, and what god they worshipped.**

**But Mr. Brunner expected me to be as good as everybody else, despite the fact that I have dyslexia and attention deficit disorder and I had never made above a C— in my life. No—he didn't expect me to be **_**as good; **_**he expected me to be **_**better. **_**And I just couldn't learn all those names and facts, much less spell them correctly.**

**I mumbled something about trying harder, while Mr. Brunner took one long sad look at the stele, like he'd been at this girl's funeral.**

Everyone nodded sadly. He probably was.

**He told me to go outside and eat my lunch.**

**The class gathered on the front steps of the museum, where we could watch the foot traffic along Fifth Avenue.**

**Overhead, a huge storm was brewing, with clouds blacker than I'd ever seen over the city. I figured maybe it was global warming or something, because the weather all across New York State had been weird since Christmas.**

Zeus blushed.

**We'd had massive snow storms, flooding, wildfires from lightning strikes. I wouldn't have been surprised if this was a hurricane blowing in.**

This time Poseidon joined Zeus in blushing. The gods who didn't know looked at the two of them curiosly.

**Nobody else seemed to notice. Some of the guys were pelting pigeons with Lunchables crackers. Nancy Bobofit was trying to pickpocket something from a lady's purse, and, of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing.**

Poseidon glared at Hades again.

**Grover and I sat on the edge of the fountain, away from the others. We thought that maybe if we did that, everybody wouldn't know we were from **_**that **_**school—the school for loser freaks who couldn't make it elsewhere.**

**Detention?" Grover asked.**

**"Nah," I said. "Not from Brunner. I just wish he'd lay off me sometimes. I mean—I'm not a genius."**

"That's true," Athena muttered.

**Grover didn't say anything for a while. Then, when I thought he was going to give me some deep philosophical comment to make me feel better, he said, "Can I have your apple?"**

Dionysus chuckled and shook his head fondly.

**I didn't have much of an appetite, so I let him take it.**

**I watched the stream of cabs going down Fifth Avenue, and thought about my mom's apartment, only a little ways uptown from where we sat. I hadn't seen her since Christmas. I wanted so bad to jump in a taxi and head home. She'd hug me and be glad to see me, but she'd be disappointed, too. She'd send me right back to Yancy, remind me that I had to try harder, even if this was my sixth school in six years and I was probably going to be kicked out again. I wouldn't be able to stand that sad look she'd give me.**

Poseidon smiled warmly at the mention of Sally.

**Mr. Brunner parked his wheelchair at the base of the handicapped ramp. He ate celery while he read a paperback novel. A red umbrella stuck up from the back of his chair, making it look like a motorized cafe table.**

**I was about to unwrap my sandwich when Nancy Bobofit appeared in front of me with her ugly friends—I guess she'd gotten tired of stealing from the tourists—and dumped her half-eaten lunch in Grover's lap.**

Poseidon smirked. "Never mess with a son of the Sea God's friends."

Athena frowned, another piece of evidence towards his fatal flaw.

"**Oops." She grinned at me with her crooked teeth. Her freckles were orange, as if somebody had spray-painted her face with liquid Cheetos.**

Aphrodite shuddered.

**I don't remember touching her, but the next thing I knew, Nancy was sitting on her butt in the fountain, screaming, "Percy pushed me!"**

**Mrs. Dodds materialized next to us.**

**Some of the kids were whispering: "Did you see—"**

**"—the water—"**

**"—like it grabbed her—"**

Everyone laughed.

"Cool!" Apollo exclaimed.

Poseidon grinned.

**I didn't know what they were talking about. All I knew was that I was in trouble again.**

**As soon as Mrs. Dodds was sure poor little Nancy was okay, promising to get her a new shirt at the museum gift shop, etc., etc., Mrs. Dodds turned on me. There was a triumphant fire in her eyes, as if I'd done something she'd been waiting for all semester. "Now, honey—"**

Hades rolled his eyes. "She still uses that."

**"I know," I grumbled. "A month erasing workbooks."**

Hermes huffed. "Never guess your punishment."

**That wasn't the right thing to say.**

**"Come with me," Mrs. Dodds said.**

**"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. **_**I **_**pushed her."**

**I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for me. Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death.**

Hades chuckled darkly making Dionysus glare at him.

**She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.**

**"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.**

**"But—"**

**"You—**_**will**_—**stay—here."**

**Grover looked at me desperately.**

**"It's okay, man," I told him. "Thanks for trying."**

**"Honey," Mrs. Dodds barked at me. "**_**Now**_**."**

**Nancy Bobofit smirked.**

**I gave her my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare.**

Hades shuddered making everyone stare at him questioningly? "It's a lot scarier than you think," he muttered, shuddering once again. Poseidon grinned and everyone laughed.

**Then I turned to face Mrs. Dodds, but she wasn't there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on.**

**How'd she get there so fast?**

**I have moments like that a lot, when my brain falls asleep or something, and the next thing I know I've missed something, as if a puzzle piece fell out of the universe and left me staring at the blank place behind it. The school counselor told me this was part of the ADHD, my brain misinterpreting things.**

**I wasn't so sure.**

Athena huffed. "Of course it isn't."

**I went after Mrs. Dodds.**

**Halfway up the steps, I glanced back at Grover. He was looking pale, cutting his eyes between me and Mr. Brunner, like he wanted Mr. Brunner to notice what was going on, but Mr. Brunner was absorbed in his novel.**

Poseidon groaned, clutching his trident and the arm of his chair tighter.

**I looked back up. Mrs. Dodds had disappeared again. She was now inside the building, at the end of the entrance hall.**

**Okay, I thought. She's going to make me buy a new shirt for Nancy at the gift shop.**

**But apparently that wasn't the plan.**

"Of course not," Poseidon groaned.

**I followed her deeper into the museum. When I finally caught up to her, we were back in the Greek and Roman section.**

**Except for us, the gallery was empty.**

**Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird noise in her throat, like growling.**

**Even without the noise, I would've been nervous. It's weird being alone with a teacher, especially Mrs. Dodds. Something about the way she looked at the frieze, as if she wanted to pulverize it...**

**"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said.**

"And he continues to do so to this day," Zeus muttered making Poseidon glare at him.

**I did the safe thing. I said, "Yes, ma'am."**

**She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket. "Did you really think you would get away with it?"**

Poseidon's glared at both Hades and Zeus with such a fury that it made the two tremble.

**The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.**

**She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she's going to hurt me.**

"That's exactly what she wants to do son." Poseidon trembled.

**I said, "I'll—I'll try harder, ma'am."**

**Thunder shook the building.**

Poseidon glared at Zeus again.

**"We are not fools, Percy Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."**

**I didn't know what she was talking about.**

**All I could think of was that the teachers must've found the illegal stash of candy I'd been selling out of my dorm room.**

"That's definitely not it son." Poseidon was shaking in his throne. Athena stared at him worriedly. She knew how worried he was about Percy.

**Or maybe they'd realized I got my essay on **_**Tom Sawyer **_**from the Internet without ever reading the book and now they were going to take away my grade. Or worse, they were going to make me read the book.**

Athena rolled her eyes and huffed.

**Well?" she demanded.**

**"Ma'am, I don't..."**

**"Your time is up," she hissed.**

**Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes began to glow like barbecue coals. Her fingers stretched, turning into talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.**

Those who didn't know she was a fury gasped.

**Then things got even stranger.**

**Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding a pen in his hand.**

**"What ho, Percy!" he shouted, and tossed the pen through the air.**

"Chiron, you don't toss a sword to someone who has never even held one before," Athena groaned.

**Mrs. Dodds lunged at me.**

**With a yelp, I dodged and felt talons slash the air next to my ear. I snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit my hand, it wasn't a pen anymore. It was a sword—Mr. Brunner's bronze sword, which he always used on tournament day.**

**Mrs. Dodds spun toward me with a murderous look in her eyes.**

**My knees were jelly. My hands were shaking so bad I almost dropped the sword.**

**She snarled, "Die, honey!"**

**And she flew straight at me.**

**Absolute terror ran through my body. I did the only thing that came naturally: I swung the sword.**

**The metal blade hit her shoulder and passed clean through her body as if she were made of water. **_**Hisss!**_

Poseidon sighed and relaxed slightly, relieved it was over.

**Mrs. Dodds was a sand castle in a power fan. She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur and a dying screech and a chill of evil in the air, as if those two glowing red eyes were still watching me.**

**I was alone.**

**There was a ballpoint pen in my hand.**

Poseidon sighed again. Percy had still let the Mist affect him after that.

**Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but me.**

**My hands were still trembling. My lunch must've been contaminated with magic mushrooms or something**

Athena rolled her eyes at this but Hermes and Apollo grinned at each other mischievously.

**Had I imagined the whole thing?**

**I went back outside.**

**It had started to rain.**

**Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butt."**

**I said, "Who?"**

**"Our **_**teacher.**_ **Duh!"**

**I blinked. We had no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. I asked Nancy what she was talking about.**

**She just rolled her eyes and turned away.**

**I asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.**

**He said, "Who?"**

Dionysus chuckled. "Grover cannot lie to save his life."

**But he paused first, and he wouldn't look at me, so I thought he was messing with me.**

"See."

**"Not funny, man," I told him. "This is serious."**

**Thunder boomed overhead.**

**I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.**

**I went over to him.**

**He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Mr. Jackson."**

"Now Chiron can lie."

**I handed Mr. Brunner his pen. I hadn't even realized I was still holding it.**

**"Sir," I said, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"**

**He stared at me blankly. "Who?"**

**"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher."**

**He frowned and sat forward, looking mildly concerned. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling all right?"**

"And that is the end of the first chapter," Apollo said. "Who wants to read next?"

"I will," everyone turned in shock at the familiar person who had somehow gotten into Olympus.

**A.N.: Yeah, I know I'm evil. Who was able to get into Olympus while it was locked down? You can guess, but only I know the answer. Well truthfully I'm still thinking on that one. It could be one person or it could be a group of people. Whichever way I go this won't be the only time people drop in unexpectedly. Please review. This is the first reading the books story that I have posted so any advice or criticism would be greatly appreciated. No flames though. If you think any of the characters are being portrayed as OOC please give me advice to fix that. Any advice as to how you think certain characters would act or what characters I should bring in would be very helpful.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

_A.N.: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. I also want to thank everyone who put my story on alert or their favorites. I was surprised to see how many responses I got just in the first day. I'm sorry about taking so long to update. College took up most of my time and I was stuck trying to revise this chapter after Son of Neptune came out without totally starting from scratch. The good news is I think I've finally figured it out and I can continue on with the story. _

_A.N.: Okay, so I got in the mood and decided to write this chapter as well. I might post this chapter if I get enough reviews on my second. Knowing my readers, I should. I think I satisfied everyone with the last chapter but I cannot be sure. I might have over done it bringing in everyone at the end. That is not the last time characters will be brought in. I just needed to bring in Percy and the others while staying mostly in cannon. _

_ Greekghostgirl- You'll just have to read to find out if Reyna's one of them. _

_ ForgetTHeWalls97- Thank you for the comment about Athena. I understand what you mean. I will try to make her more in character. I also have a reason for writing her the way she is though. You will see what I mean. This chapter might clear a few things up but might also leave you with more questions. Let's just say that the chariot wasn't the only time she and Poseidon worked together, and that second time will play a very important part in this story. _

_5/18/12- Sorry it's been so long and that this isn't the next chapter. I've been busy with college. Don't worry. I'm almost done with chapter 3 and will post it soon and start working on the next one right away. I'm resubmitting this chapter for what seems like the hundredth time. It seems to be full of glitched. I added a small mention to the first chapter of MOA. _

_On the bad side of things, I am worried about how poorly my story is doing. I know it's probably do to it only having two chapters and the length between updates but it hurts. I hope this post will boost its popularity but I will remind everyone to please review. _

_Disclaimer: I am in no way Rick Riordan. I am just a fan of the series expressing my love for it. I do not make any profit from this._

Everyone stared at a familiar young girl about sixteen with curly blonde hair and grey eyes. Beisde her stood a young girl about fifteen with spiky black hair and electric blue eyes. A bow and quiver were slung across her back. She wore silver camouflage pants and a silver band across her forehead. She would have looked like a warrior princess if it wasn't for the black skull earrings and the "Death to Barbie" t-shirt she wore. She was whispering to a boy about her age with the same electric blue eyes. A young girl with choppy brown hair and kaleidoscope colored eyes stood next to them with a boy with jet black hair and a mischievous grin on his face, a tool belt around his waist. A young boy about twelve or thirteen with dark hair, eyes, and clothes moaned tiredly near them, leaning against a large hellhound who was panting.

"Thalia! Jason!" "Nico!" Zeus and Hades exclaimed at the sight of their children. Hera glared at the two blue eyed teenagers while Zeus smiled at them warmly. Hades grinned at the small boy who grinned back. Hephaestus grinned at the boy with the tool belt while his wife Aphrodite smiled at the kaleidoscope eyed girl. Athena nodded to the young blonde haired girl who had her gray eyes.

"Don't every ask me to do that again, okay," Nico groaned. "Even with Mrs. O'Leary taking all of you up here with these defenses was exhausting." Hades looked worried at that. "You know shadow-travel takes a lot out of me."

"Sorry Nico," the blonde haired girl apologized, "but even as the Architect of Olympus I couldn't think of any other way to get up here."

"Yeah, well, looks like it will be a while before I can go back to the Underworld." Nico smiled sadly. "It's okay Annabeth. As long as it helps get Percy back…" He didn't finish that sentence seeing the heartbroken expression on Annabeth's face.

"He'll be fine Annabeth," The blue eyed son of Jupiter, Jason, said.

"Yeah, Kelp Head's strong. He'll handle anything he comes up against," the blue eyed daughter of Zeus, Thalia, added, smiling comfortingly at her friend.

"Will you six kindly tell us what you are doing here?" Hera asked in a sickeningly sweet voice making the six demigods go quiet.

"Lady Hera, we are here because the Oracle said that we were needed on Olympus to join you in reading something," Annabeth said respectfully, not showing her hatred for the Queen of the Gods.

"Ah, good, so Rachel got my message," Apollo said happily, ignoring Zeus's glare.

"Very well, take a seat," Zeus grumbled conjuring six guest thrones. Hera glared in disgust at the hellhound which followed Nico and laid down beside his throne. Once all six had taken a seat Apollo snapped his fingers and the book appeared in Annabeth's hands. As she opened the book, she chanced a glance at her mom and quickly looked away. 'Focus,' she told herself. It was no good worrying over whether or not her mother was still mad at her. That wouldn't change what had happened.

"We have a lot to discuss after this chapter is over," Thalia said to Zeus after Apollo finished filling them in on what had happened in the first chapter. He nodded wearily at the glare she was sending him and Hera. Seeing Annabeth's glare he knew that she and Poseidon would also be joining the discussion. He had a feeling this would be a repeat of the argument he and Poseidon were having with Hera earlier with Jason's first disappearance thrown into the mix.

**Chapter 2: Three**** Old Ladies Knit the Socks of Death **Annabeth read.

Hades paled realizing that he would be receiving Poseidon's fury once again in this chapter. He really hoped he was wrong about who the title was talking about.

"Ooh, the Socks of Death, how scary," Ares said sarcastically. Annabeth and Poseidon glared at him.

Annabeth was pale as she guessed who the three ladies were. But Percy was still alive, at least she hoped. Ugh, bad thought, bad. Then again he had known who they were when they appeared on Olympus for Luke's body which meant… Oh. While the thought didn't make her feel any better she relaxed and continued reading, aware that her mother had come to the same conclusions she had.

**I was used to the occasional weird experience, but usually they were over quickly.**

"Well apparently that doesn't last very long,'" the black haired boy with the tool belt said. "I'm Leo, son of Hephaestus and fire user by the way," he said gesturing to himself, "and this is Piper, daughter of Aphrodite and charm speaker," he added gesturing to the choppy haired girl with kaleidoscope colored eyes. "Just in case anyone wanted to know."

**This twenty-four/seven hallucination was more than I could handle. For the rest of the school year, the entire campus seemed to be playing some kind of trick on me. The students acted as if they were completely and totally convinced that Mrs. Kerr—a perky blond woman whom I'd never seen in my life until she got on our bus at the end of the field trip—had been our pre-algebra teacher since Christmas.**

"Well to them she had been," Piper said staring at Jason with something akin to nostalgia. Leo gave her an understanding look.

**Every so often I would spring a Mrs. Dodds reference on somebody, just to see if I could trip them up, but they would stare at me like I was psycho.**

Everyone chuckled.

**It got so I almost believed them—Mrs. Dodds had never existed.**

**Almost.**

**But Grover couldn't fool me.**

Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico smiled.

"Of course not, Grover's a terrible liar," Nico said snickering.

**When I mentioned the name Dodds to him, he would hesitate, and then claim she didn't exist. But I knew he was lying.**

**Something was going on. Something **_**had **_**happened at the museum.**

"Yeah, you were attacked by your pre-algebra teacher who turned out to be a Kindly One," Nico said. "No wonder she is mad at you. You destroyed her without having any training." He snickered imagining how mad Alecto had been.

**I didn't have much time to think about it during the days, but at night, visions of Mrs. Dodds with talons and leathery wings would wake me up in a cold sweat.**

"Eh, she's not the scariest thing out there," Nico said, shrugging his shoulders.

**The freak weather continued, which didn't help my mood. One night, a thunderstorm blew out the windows in my dorm room. A few days later, the biggest tornado ever spotted in the Hudson Valley touched down only fifty miles from Yancy Academy. One of the current events we studied in social studies class was the unusual number of small planes that had gone down in sudden squalls in the Atlantic that year.**

Everyone stared at Poseidon and Zeus who shifted sheepishly in their seats.

**I started feeling cranky and irritable most of the time. My grades slipped from Ds to Fs.**

Annabeth groaned. "Come on Seaweed Brain, you can do better than that."

**I got into more fights with Nancy Bobofit and her friends. I was sent out into the hallway in almost every class.**

**Finally, when our English teacher, Mr. Nicoll, asked me for the millionth time why I was too lazy to study for spelling tests, I snapped. I called him an old sot. I wasn't even sure what it meant, but it sounded good.**

"It means…" Annabeth started to say.

"We don't want to know. Keep reading," Nico groaned, still tired from shadow traveling.

**The headmaster sent my mom a letter the following week, making it official: I would not be invited back next year to Yancy Academy.**

**Fine, I told myself. Just fine.**

**I was homesick.**

Annabeth glared at Leo's snickers. "You would be too if you knew Percy's mother," she defended.

**I wanted to be with my mom in our little apartment on the Upper East Side, even if I had to go to public school and put up with my obnoxious stepfather and his stupid poker parties.**

Poseidon and Annabeth glared at the book at the reminder of Smelly Gabe. Annabeth was the first to cool down remembering the statue _The Poker Player,_ and that Percy's mom now had Paul. Before Poseidon could lose his temper she continued reading.

**And yet... there were things I'd miss at Yancy. The view** **of the woods outside my dorm window, the Hudson River in the distance, the smell of pine trees. I'd miss Grover, who'd been a good friend,**

"He's a great friend," Annabeth said, nodding.

**even if he was a little strange.**

Those who knew Grover laughed.

"Well you've got to admit he is strange, even for a satyr," Thalia said smiling.

**I worried how he'd survive next year without me.**

**I'd miss Latin class, too—Mr. Brunner's crazy tournament days and his faith that I could do well.** **As exam week got closer, Latin was the only test I studied for.**

Jason nodded understandingly, but that was most likely because Latin came naturally to him.

**I hadn't forgotten what Mr. Brunner had told me about this subject being life-and-death for me. I wasn't sure why, but I'd started to believe him.**

"Well it certainly is now," Annabeth grumbled, glaring at Hera. It certainly was "life-and-death" in the Roman camp.

Poseidon, unfortunately for Hera, heard her and she found herself on the receiving end of two death glares from two of the people who cared about Percy the most, excluding his mother.

**The evening before my final, I got so frustrated I threw the **_**Cambridge Guide to Greek Mythology **_**across my dorm room. **Annabeth and Athena huffed. Annabeth muttered something about being a seaweed brain. **Words had started swimming off the page, circling my head, the letters doing one-eighties as if they were riding skateboards. There was no way I was going to remember the difference between Chiron and Charon,**

Annabeth smiled. "Well that's certainly ironic," she said remembering him meeting both Chiron and Charon and how he had called the latter Chiron when trying to read his name tag.

**or Polydictes and Polydeuces. And conjugating those Latin verbs? Forget it.**

Jason frowned. "That's easy."

"Maybe for a Roman demigod, but not for a Greek one," Annabeth defended, after all their dyslexia did extend to Latin and other languages, not just English.

**I paced the room, feeling like ants were crawling around inside my shirt.**

**I remembered Mr. Brunner's serious expression, his thousand-year-old eyes. **_**I will accept only the best from you, Percy Jackson.**_

**I took a deep breath. I picked up the mythology book.**

**I'd never asked a teacher for help before. Maybe if I talked to Mr. Brunner, he could give me some pointers. At least I could apologize for the big fat F I was about to score on his exam. I didn't want to leave Yancy Academy with him thinking I hadn't tried.**

Annabeth smiled fondly. "He would never think that Seaweed Brain."

**I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.**

**I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said,** _**"...**_ **worried about Percy, sir."**

"He always is, and gods knows Seaweed Brain gives us enough reason to without trying," Annabeth said fondly.

**I froze.**

**I'm not usually an eavesdropper,**

Annabeth, Thalia and Nico rolled their eyes.

"Yeah right, that didn't stop you from eavesdropping on my conversations with Minos," Nico said chuckling.

**but I dare you to try not listening if you hear your best friend talking about you to an adult.**

Nico shrugged. "Alright, point taken."

**I inched closer.**

**"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the **_**school**_**! Now that we know for sure, and **_**they **_**know too—"**

**"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."**

Annabeth, Thalia, and Nico laughed.

"Never going to happen," Thalia said laughing.

**"But he may not have time. The summer solstice dead line— **_**"**_

**"Will have to be resolved without him, Grover. Let him enjoy his ignorance while he still can."**

The laughing died down. Usually they would have continued laughing but the mention of ignorance hit too close to Percy's current situation. The other demigods and gods seemed to realize this as well. Poseidon glared once again at Hera who just looked away. Jason sighed in sympathy, understanding how it felt not to remember anything about your life or who you are.

**"Sir, he **_**saw **_**her..."**

**"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."**

"Not Percy," Poseidon said sadly, "he's got a curiosity that knows no bounds."

**"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."**

Thalia sighed. "You didn't fail. You found four children of the Big three, that's definitely not failing."

Nico bowed his head thinking of his Bianca who he would never see again and Hazel who was probably with Percy on a quest to free Thanatos, and when they did, would probably have to go back to the Underworld . At least Thalia had her brother back.

**"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy alive until next fall—"**

"Well that isn't something he wants to hear," Thalia said.

"Well you've got to admit he wasn't wrong," Nico said making everyone look at him quizzically. "Keeping Percy alive is a full time job." At that several people laughed and nodded while others chuckled. Still Nico worried he'd made things worse for Annabeth and Poseidon who were now gripping the edge of their seats worried about Percy.

**The mythology book dropped out of my hand and hit the floor with a thud.**

"No, don't give yourself away," Hermes scolded.

**Mr. Brunner went silent.**

**My heart hammering, I picked up the book and backed down the hall.**

**A shadow slid across the lighted glass of Brunner's office door, the shadow of something much taller than my wheelchair-bound teacher, holding something that looked suspiciously like an archer's bow.**

"And that isn't going to make him even more suspicious," Dionysus snorted.

**A bead of sweat trickled down my neck.**

**Somewhere in the hallway, Mr. Brunner spoke. "Nothing," he murmured. "My nerves haven't been right since the winter solstice."**

**"Mine neither," Grover said. "But I could have sworn ..."**

**"Go back to the dorm," Mr. Brunner told him. "You've got a long day of exams tomorrow."**

**"Don't remind me."**

**The lights went out in Mr. Brunner's office.**

**I waited in the dark for what seemed like forever.**

**Finally, I slipped out into the hallway and made my way back up to the dorm.**

**Grover was lying on his bed, studying his Latin exam notes like he'd been there all night.**

**"Hey," he said, bleary-eyed. "You going to be ready for this test?"**

**I didn't answer.**

**"You look awful." He frowned. "Is everything okay?"**

**"Just... tired."**

**I turned so he couldn't read my expression, and started getting ready for bed.**

"That's not going to work," Annabeth said weakly," Grover can read your emotions."

**I didn't understand what I'd heard downstairs. I wanted to believe I'd imagined the whole thing.**

**But one thing was clear: Grover and Mr. Brunner were talking about me behind my back. They thought I was in some kind of danger.**

"You are, more than even they know," Poseidon said solemnly.

**The next afternoon, as I was leaving the three-hour Latin exam, my eyes swimming with all the Greek and Roman names I'd misspelled, Mr. Brunner called me back inside.**

"Ugh, that's torture," Leo, Apollo, Hermes, and most of the male demgiods and gods, and some of the female ones said. Athena, Annabeth, Artemis, and Thalia rolled their eyes.

**For a moment, I was worried he'd found out about my eavesdropping the night before, but that didn't seem to be the problem.**

**"Percy," he said. "Don't be discouraged about leaving Yancy. It's ... it's for the best."**

**His tone was kind, but the words still embarrassed me. Even though he was speaking quietly, the other kids finishing the test could hear. Nancy Bobofit smirked at me and made sarcastic little kissing motions with her lips.**

"That's girl is a disgrace to the name of girls everywhere," Artemis said, disgusted.

**I mumbled, "Okay, sir."**

**"I mean ..." Mr. Brunner wheeled his chair back and forth, like he wasn't sure what to say. "This isn't the right place for you. It was only a matter of time."**

"Not the right thing to say Chiron," Poseidon groaned, shaking his head. He was still worried about Percy.

**My eyes stung.**

"Weakling," Ares snorted causing several gods and demigods to glare at him.

"That 'weakling' defeated you in a duel," Poseidon gritted his teeth, his grip on his trident tightening. Ares shuddered and went silent, not even defending himself.

**Here was my favorite teacher, in front of the class, telling me I couldn't handle it. After saying he believed in me all year, now he was telling me I was destined to get kicked out.**

**"Right," I said, trembling.**

**"No, no," Mr. Brunner said. "Oh, confound it all. What I'm trying to say ... you're not normal, Percy. That's nothing to be—"**

Several people groaned.

"You're just making it worse brother," Zeus said, shaking his head like Poseidon had.

**"Thanks," I blurted. "Thanks a lot, sir, for reminding me."**

**"Percy—"**

**But I was already gone.**

**On the last day of the term, I shoved my clothes into my suitcase.**

**The other guys were joking around, talking about their vacation plans. One of them was going on a hiking trip to Switzerland. Another was cruising the Caribbean for a month. They were juvenile delinquents, like me, but they were **_**rich **_**juvenile delinquents. Their daddies were executives, or ambassadors, or celebrities. I was a nobody, from a family of nobodies.**

Zeus and Hades grinned. "Poseidon's a nobody." Their amusement was short lived however as Poseidon chuckled instead of glaring.

"He said from a family of nobodies," Poseidon pointed out, clearly amused. Zeus and Hades glared at him along with several of the other gods.

"We are not nobodies you ungrateful little brat," Zeus muttered, glaring at the book. Poseidon glared at him and the King of the Gods shuddered under his older brother's gaze.

**They asked me what I'd be doing this summer and I told them I was going back to the city.**

**What I didn't tell them was that I'd have to get a summer job walking dogs or selling magazine subscriptions, and spend my free time worrying about where I'd go to school in the fall.**

**"Oh," one of the guys said. "That's cool."**

**They went back to their conversation as if I'd never existed.**

**The only person I dreaded saying good-bye to was Grover, but as it turned out, I didn't have to. He'd booked a ticket to Manhattan on the same Greyhound as I had,** **so there we were, together again, heading into the city.**

"What a coincidence," Piper said sarcastically.

**During the whole bus ride, Grover kept glancing nervously down the aisle, watching the other passengers. It occurred to me that he'd always acted nervous and fidgety when we left Yancy, as if he expected something bad to happen.**

"Knowing you Kelp Head, something probably would," Thalia chuckled.

**Before, I'd always assumed he was worried about getting teased. But there was nobody to tease him on the Greyhound.**

**Finally I couldn't stand it anymore.**

**I said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"**

Nico and Leo chuckled. "That will certainly shock Grover." Annabeth and Thalia glared at them.

**Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha—what do you mean?"**

**I confessed about eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.**

**Grover's eye twitched. "How much **_**did **_**you hear?"**

**"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line?"**

"No, you never confess," Hermes groaned.

"And that will shock him even more," Nico and Leo said together. This time Piper joined Annabeth and Thalia in glaring.

**He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers …"**

Nico snickered, "Demon math teacher, good one. Just don't let her hear you call her that." Hades grinned, nodding.

**Grover—"**

**"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."**

**"Grover, you're a really, really bad liar."**

"He really is," Thalia said, shaking her head.

**His ears turned pink.**

**From his shirt pocket, he fished out a grubby business card. "Just take this, okay? In case you need me this summer.**

**The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:**

_**Grover Underwood**_

_**Keeper**_

_**Half-Blood Hill**_

_**Long Island, New York**_

_**(800)**_ _**009-0009**_

The demigods glared at Dionysus realizing he was the one who had done that. The wine god just smirked.

**"What's Half—"**

**"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... summer address."**

**My heart sank. Grover had a summer home. I'd never considered that his family might be as rich as the others at Yancy.**

"He's not," Annabeth corrected.

**"Okay," I said glumly. "So, like, if I want to come visit your mansion."**

"Camp Half-Blood is definitely not a mansion," Annabeth said chuckling.

**He nodded. "Or...or if you need me."**

**"Why would I need you?"**

**It came out harsher than I meant it to.**

**Grover blushed right down to his Adam's apple. "Look, Percy, the truth is, I—I kind of have to protect you."**

**I stared at him.**

**All year long, I'd gotten in fights, keeping bullies away from him. I'd lost sleep worrying that he'd get beaten up next year without me. And here he was acting like he was the one who defended **_**me.**_

Everyone chuckled at that.

**"Grover," I said, "What exactly are you protecting me from?"**

**There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs.**

"Eww!" Aphrodite and Piper exclaimed. Most of the other girls scrunched up their noses in disgust.

**The driver cursed and steered the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.**

**After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover and I filed outside with everybody else.**

**We were on a stretch of country road—no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.**

**The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of blood red cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice**_**. **_**There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.**

"He saw the Fates!" Poseidon exclaimed. He turned to Hades who looked like he wanted to disappear. "What were they doing there?"

"Don't look at me, they have their own agenda," Hades said meekly but Poseidon did not look like he believed it.

"Lord Poseidon, it wasn't his string. They were just showing him the string of somebody whose fate was closely intertwined with his," Annabeth said, trying to calm the overprotective father and making sure that she wasn't giving away too much.

"Whose?" Hermes asked, but he didn't need to see Annabeth's expression to know the answer, he had known it for years.

**I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.**

**All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses.**

**The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me.**

Poseidon groaned and Zeus and Hades looked at each other. They understood exactly how the Sea God felt. They couldn't imagine if it was one of their children. Hades shook his head, though they had all lost children, especially during World War 2, only he had lost a child since the oath. He glanced at Nico who was trembling obviously worried about Percy and remembering Bianca.

**I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.**

**"Grover?" I said. "Hey, man—"**

**"Tell me they're not looking at you. They are, aren't they?"**

**"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?"**

Annabeth groaned. "Not funny Seaweed Brain."

**"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."**

**The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors—gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears. I heard Grover catch his breath.**

**"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."**

**"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there."**

**"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but I stayed back.**

**Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that **_**snip **_**across four lanes of traffic.**

Everyone shivered. Hermes buried his head in his hands, his currently sandy blonde hair hiding the fact that tears were running down his face from his currently blue eyes as he thought of his lost son Luke.

**Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering who they could possibly be for—Sasquatch or Godzilla.**

Apollo glanced at Hermes and mentally cursed. Stupid prophecy, none of this might have happened if it hadn't been for it.

**At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.**

**The passengers cheered.**

**"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat. "Everybody back on board!"**

**Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu.**

**Grover didn't look much better. He was shivering and his teeth were chattering.**

**"Grover?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"What are you not telling me?"**

"You don't want to know," Poseidon said, "But sadly you don't have a choice in the matter."

Annabeth shuddered. Poseidon was wrong about that. It was Percy's choice that sealed it completely.

**He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Percy, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"**

**"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"**

"Worse," Hermes muttered through his tears.

**His expression was hard to read, but I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds. He said, "Just tell me what you saw."**

**"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn."**

**He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost—older.**

"It is, but it won't help in this situation," Annabeth said sadly.

**He said, "You saw her snip the cord."**

**"Yeah. So?" But even as I said it, I knew it was a big deal.**

**"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."**

"It isn't," Thalia said solemnly, she too had realized who the cord belonged to.

**"What last time?"**

**"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."**

**"Grover," I said, because he was really starting to scare me. "What are you talking about?"**

Jason raised an eyebrow at Thalia who mouthed "later," shaking her head.

**"Let me walk you home from the bus station. Promise me."**

**This seemed like a strange request to me, but I promised he could.**

"And deserted him the first chance I got," Nico finished, chuckling.

**"Is this like a superstition or something?" I asked.**

**No answer.**

**"Grover—that snipping of the yarn. Does that mean somebody is going to die?"**

Hermes groaned and Thalia and Annabeth bowed their heads, mourning their lost friend.

**He looked at me mournfully, like he was already picking the kind of flowers I'd like best on my coffin.**

Poseidon groaned.

"The chapter's over," Annabeth said, marking the spot in the book and closing it.

Zeus sighed, knowing it was time to talk. "Thalia, Jason, Hera, let's go into the back room," he said. His two youngest children nooded while Hera glared at him. Annabeth nodded, understanding that the talk about Percy could wait. All four stood up and Zeus led them into an adjacent room.

"Why did you let her take Jason away _Father_?" The way Thalia said _Father _made him flinch. Hera glared at her and Thalia and Jason looked away knowing what was about to happen. There was a flash of golden light and a in Hera's place stood her Roman aspect, Juno."

"It was not his choice Hunter," the goddess said, glaring at her. "Both ideas were all mine." Zeus sighed wishing that he didn't have to deal with Juno. Even Jupiter couldn't handle her. Sometimes he thought Hera didn't even need to change form to bring out that side of her.

"You took my own brother away from me!" Thalia cried. "And then when I get him back it's because you've taken his memories and switched him with one of my best friends!" Jason rested a hand on her trembling shoulder but it was half-hearted judging by the glare he was sending Juno's way.

"It was for the best. Jason needed to learn at the Legion. It's in his nature to hate Greeks. He could never have grown up at your little Greek camp."

"That doesn't mean we had to be lied to for most of our lives!" Jason yelled. Thunder echoed through the hall.

"Now, now, the two camps were kept from each other for their own safety," Juno said sweetly.

"Bull, this is all just a part of your little game. You love the idea of us destroying each other, that's why you made the exchange. We're just children of broken marriages. We don't fit in picture of the perfect family. News flash you hag! It's never going to happen! Nobody's perfect, even you!"

Zeus, who had been joined by Poseidon and Annabeth, sighed. "You need to let go of your grudge." Everyone stared at him in shock. He just shrugged. "Give Percy his memories back and bring him and several of his roman friends here." Thunder echoed through the room just as Juno began to protest. "Get Percy Jackson and his Roman friends and make sure Percy has his memory back before you bring them here," he ordered.

"I can't!" Juno exclaimed.

"And why not?" Poseidon growled. The room shook reminding everyone that Gaia was not the only one with power over the earth.

A crash from the throne room followed by very familiar swearing and shouts of "Percy!" answered the question for Juno who returned to being Hera. Without a second thought Poseidon, Annabeth, Thalia and Jason were running into the throne room.

The sight greeting them made Annabeth and Thalia burst out laughing and Poseidon chuckle. Grover was on the floor being furiously licked by Mrs. O' Leary who had disappeared while they were reading, probably to return to Tyson. She had obviously decided that Grover needed to be here. Next to him, six other people were getting up. Sally and Paul Blowfis looked around the throne room in shock while four demigods, two girls and two boys, took in their surroundings with interest.

"Why did you bring us here girl?" one of them asked, turning to Mrs. O'Leary. Almost everyone stared in shock at the young man. With his Mediterranean complexion, sea green eyes, and messy jet black hair with one silver streak, there was no mistaking him.

"Percy," Annabeth whispered in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. Well. I decided to give you a treat and post this chapter. Sorry it took so long but I promise it will be well worth it. My mind has recently thought up a huge idea for this story as well as a side one. _

_Warning: this chapter ends on a huge cliffhanger and will leave you with several questions and yearning for answers. You have been warned. _

_Disclaimer: Rick Riordan is not willing to share the rights to the Percy Jackson series. Thus, I do not own the rights to the characters or the bold words in this story. _

Chapter 3: We take a much needed break…or not. A.K.A. Who needs pants?

At the sound of his name from her lips Percy turned and his eyes widened when he saw Annabeth. A second later, he grinned as he found himself in his girlfriend's embrace. The grin turned into a grimace as a familiar sound echoed through the room. Annabeth pulled back, staring in shock as she glanced between her hand and Percy's red cheek where she had punched him.

"I hurt you." The words came out strangled but the implications were clear to most of the people in the room. She should not have been able to hurt him. He had the Achilles Curse.

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way Wise Girl. I haven't seen my girlfriend for eight months, two of which were spent with amnesia, and the first thing she does is punch me," Percy complained, rubbing his cheek with his left hand revealing the roman tattoo on his arm.

"I was worried about you," Annabeth replied.

"Then you should have hit Hera or Nico," Percy said.

"I'm not going to hit a goddess, no matter how much I hate her…. and what do you mean I should have hit Nico?" She asked confused. All eyes turned to the young necromancer who was trying to escape into the shadows. An unfamiliar girl with dark features that looked a lot like him stopped him however.

"I might know where the Roman Camp is and I might have been there when Percy first came to the camp," Nico said sheepishly.

Annabeth frowned. "And you didn't tell us."

"I couldn't. It was part of Percy's quest, I couldn't even tell you I saw him," he replied.

Now Annabeth's gaze turned to Hera. "And I wonder why that would be," she growled.

"So why are we here," the second girl, at whom Jason had been staring at, spoke.

"We're reading a book about Percy's thoughts on his adventures over the last few years Reyna," he said.

"You remember me," Reyna asked hopefully.

"Vaguely," he replied, frowning.

"So what has happened so far?" Percy asked.

"Well, we're only on the second chapter but so far you've hit Nancy Bobofit with a wave, destroyed a Kindly One masquerading as your math teacher, overheard Chiron and Grover talking about you and the summer solstice and saw the Fates cut someone else's string. So, not much at all," Thalia replied.

Reyna, Sally, Paul and the two demigods stared at Thalia, mouths gaping.

"Not much at all she says," Grover bleated.

"So that's what you were keeping from me," Sally said her eyes narrowing. "After this war is over and you come home you are so grounded mister."

"Mom, you might want to wait before grounding me. That was only the first two chapters," Percy said blushing.

Sally sighed. "You're bound and determined to make me go grey, aren't you? That message you left me didn't help one bit."

"Sorry Mom," Percy replied, head bowed.

"At least I know you're safe now," she said smiling.

"So are we going to read the next chapter or what?" Leo asked.

"First, I believe that two of us have yet to be introduced," Hera said.

Percy glared at her before nodding at the boy and dark girl.

"My name is Hazel Levesque," the girl said. "You'll find out who my godly parent is in a later book,"

Next, the boy stepped forward. He had a burley figure offset by a chubby, baby-like face. "My name is Frank Zhang and my godly parent will also be revealed in a later book."

"Alright, now everyone sit down so we can continue reading," Zeus said summoning more thrones. One of them was large and looked like a couch. Percy and Annabeth quickly claimed it.

Athena frowned as she watched Annabeth settle her head on Percy's shoulder and Percy wrap his arms around Annabeth. She had known it would happen even before Aphrodite. She clearly remembered two seven year olds talking animatedly to each other and showing off their powers. Only she and Poseidon remembered that day, the day everything changed.

"I'll read," Sally said. Zeus nodded and the book appeared in her hand.

**Chapter 3: Grover Unexpectedly Loses his Pants**

"Okay, what?" Leo said staring confusedly at Grover who was blushing.

"Please read Mrs. Blowfis," Grover muttered.

**Confession time: I ditched Grover as soon as we got to the bus terminal.**

Annabeth sighed. "Seaweed Brain," she muttered.

**I know, I know. It was rude. But Grover was freaking me out, looking at me like I was a dead man, muttering "Why does this always happen?" and "Why does it always have to be sixth grade?"**

"Okay, that would get annoying," Jason said.

**Whenever he got upset, Grover's bladder acted up, so I wasn't surprised when, as soon as we got off the bus, he made me promise to wait for him, then made a beeline for the restroom.**

Grover blushed harder.****

**Instead of waiting, I got my suitcase, slipped outside, and caught the first taxi uptown.**

**"East One-hundred-and-fourth and First," I told the driver.**

**A word about my mother, before you meet her.**

**Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world, which just proves my theory that the best people have the rottenest luck. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.**

"I'm shocked Poseidon," Athena said. Everyone turned to her.

"What?" Poseidon asked, his eyes narrowed.

"You actually chose someone smart for a change," she replied, grinning.

"Is that a compliment Owl Head?"

"Just a statement about your usual choice of women Algae Brain," Athena replied. "Though it's unfortunate her brains didn't pass to your son," she finished.

Sally smiled while Aphrodite cooed causing Athena and Poseidon to glare at her.

"For the last time Aphrodite, don't even think about it," Athena growled. Aphrodite pouted.

"How long has she been trying to get you to together?" Percy asked.

"For the last few thousand years, ever since our first big fight," Poseidon replied.

Percy grinned. "Well good luck then Dad," he said chuckling. Annabeth slapped his arm lightly, still perturbed by having been able to hurt him.

**The only good break she ever got was meeting my dad.**

"Well, I definitely had a good break having you and meeting Paul," Sally said smiling. Percy smiled back.

**I don't have any memories of him, just this sort of warm glow, maybe the barest trace of his smile. **

Everyone stared between Percy and Poseidon who was frowning as though in worry about something.

"Glow, how is that even possible?" Annabeth asked, looking at her mother who did not respond. Athena seemed to be in the same state Poseidon was.

**My mom doesn't like to talk about him because it makes her sad. She has no pictures.**

"I don't need them. I have you," Sally said.

**See, they weren't married. She told me he was rich and important, and their relationship was a secret. Then one day, he set sail across the Atlantic on some important journey, and he never came back.**

**Lost at sea, my mom told me. Not dead. Lost at sea. **

"Not a lie but not exactly the truth," Annabeth said.

**She worked odd jobs, took night classes to get her high school diploma, and raised me on her own. She never complained or got mad. Not even once. But I knew I wasn't an easy kid.**

"No you weren't," Sally said chuckling.

**Finally, she married Gabe Ugliano, who was nice the first thirty seconds we knew him, then showed his true colors as a world-class jerk. When I was young, I nicknamed him Smelly Gabe.**

**I'm sorry, but it's the truth. The guy reeked like moldy garlic pizza wrapped in gym shorts.**

"Eww!" Aphrodite and Piper exclaimed.

Grover wrinkled his nose and nodded. "Got that right."

**Between the two of us, we made my mom's life pretty hard. The way Smelly Gabe treated her, the way he and I got along ... well, when I came home is a good example.**

**I walked into our little apartment, hoping my mom would be home from work. Instead, Smelly Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.**

**Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."**

**"Where's my mom?"**

**"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"**

"That's it! No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months?" Poseidon growled. Sally chuckled which made everyone stare at her before she finally continued reading.

**That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months? **

Everyone chuckled.

"The more we read the more you two are alike," Athena said shaking her head.

**Gabe had put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.**

"Gross," Piper said.

**He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer. Whenever I was home, he expected me to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret."**

**Meaning, if I told my mom, he would punch my lights out.**

Poseidon and Percy growled and started muttering under their breaths making everyone but Annabeth, Athena and Ares stare at the two of them warily. Annabeth and Athena were muttering with them.****

**"I don't have any cash," I told him.**

Hephaestus snorted. "Like he'll believe that."

**He raised a greasy eyebrow.**

**Gabe could sniff out money like a bloodhound, which was surprising, since his own smell should've covered up everything else. "You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. Somebody expects to live under this roof, he ought to carry his own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"**

"He can count!" Hazel exclaimed.

**Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. "Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."  
>"Am I right?" Gabe repeated.<br>Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.**

"Ughh," the goddesses and gods said.

**"Fine," I said. I dug a wad of dollars out of my pocket and threw the money on the table. "I hope you lose."  
>"Your report card came, brain boy!" he shouted after me. "I wouldn't act so snooty!"<strong>

Thalia snorted. "You can call Percy many things but brain boy is not one of them," Hazel and Frank frowned.

**I slammed the door to my room, which really wasn't my room. During school months, it was Gabe's "study." He didn't study anything in there except old car magazines, but he loved shoving my stuff in the closet, leaving his muddy boots on my windowsill, and doing his best to make the place smell like his nasty cologne and cigars and stale beer.**

"This man is repulsive. Every few seconds he does something that makes me want to puke," Aphrodite said. Hephaestus laid a hand on her back and rubbed it while Ares glared at the fire god.

**I dropped my suitcase on the bed. Home sweet home.  
>Gabe's smell was almost worse than the nightmares about Mrs. Dodds, or the sound of that old fruit lady's shears snipping the yarn.<strong>

"Wow, I wouldn't think that was possible," Leo said.

"It is," Percy said. **  
><strong> 

**But as soon as I thought that, my legs felt weak. I remembered Grover's look of panic—how he'd made me promise I wouldn't go home without him. A sudden chill rolled through me. I felt like someone—something—was looking for me right now, maybe pounding its way up the stairs, growing long, horrible talons.**

Several of those reading shuddered. Hades and Nico simply grinned.

**Then I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?"  
>She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.<strong>

**My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me or Gabe. "Oh, Percy." She hugged me tight. "I can't believe it. You've grown since Christmas!"**

Percy blushed.**  
>Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought me a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.<strong>

"Cool," Leo said.

**We sat together on the edge of the bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ran her hand through my hair and demanded to know everything I hadn't put in my letters. She didn't mention anything about my getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But was I okay? Was her little boy doing all right? I told her she was smothering me, and to lay off and all that, but secretly, I was really, really glad to see her.**

Percy smiled at his mom.

**From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally—how about some bean dip, huh?"**

The whole room growled but Percy, Poseidon and Paul the loudest.****

**I gritted my teeth.**

**My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not to some jerk like Gabe.  
><strong> 

"Paul's not a millionaire or a god but he deserves to be married to mom, not this jerk," Percy growled. Poseidon nodded.

**For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't too down about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd made some new friends. I'd done pretty well in Latin. And honestly, the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I liked Yancy Academy. I really did. I put such a good spin on the year, I almost convinced myself. I started choking up, thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner. Even Nancy Bobofit suddenly didn't seem so bad.**

"Of course she wouldn't after the Kindly One," Grover said. ****

**Until that trip to the museum ...**

**"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets.**

**"Did something scare you?"**

**"No, Mom."**

**I felt bad lying. I wanted to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the three old ladies with the yarn, but I thought it would sound stupid.**

**She pursed her lips. She knew I was holding back, but she didn't push me.**

**"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach." My eyes widened. "Montauk?"**

**"Three nights—same cabin."**

**"When?"**

**She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."**

**I couldn't believe it. My mom and I hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.**

"Because he spends it on gambling and beer," Annabeth growled, her grey eyes flashing a startlingly familiar sea green.**  
>Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"<strong>

**I wanted to punch him, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering me a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.**

**"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."**

**Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"**

**"I knew it," I muttered. "He won't let us go."**

"Oh he'll let you go or he'll regret it," Annabeth muttered, her eyes still the same color as Percy's. Percy looked at his girlfriend in worry. He had never seen her this angry before. He could feel the rage building up inside her. Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned over and whispered into her ear.

"Calm down Wise Girl." It took a moment but his girlfriend finally stopped trembling and her eyes returned to their original color. Once she was sure Annabeth was okay, Sally continued reading but the startling change in Annabeth was on everyone's minds.

******"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money.**

**That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."**

**Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"**

"That…That…There are no words to describe that man!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

"You're wrong Aphrodite," Artemis said. Everyone turned to the Hunter expecting another rant about how boys are worthless. "He's not a man, he's a beast. He's not even worthy of being called a monster." Everyone laughed at this.****

**"Yes, honey," my mother said.**

**"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."**

**"We'll be very careful."**

**Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip ... And maybe if the kid apologizes for interrupting my poker game."**

**Maybe if I kick you in your soft spot, I thought. And make you sing soprano for a week.**

Laughter filled the throne room.

"Oh, you totally should have said that to him," Leo exclaimed.

Percy kept quiet but Annabeth noticed the dark look in his eyes as well of those of Poseidon and Sally and thought that that definitely would not have been the best idea.****

**But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad. Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought? "I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry I interrupted your incredibly important poker game.**

**Please go back to it right now."**

**Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect sarcasm in my statement.**

"Which knowing you was laced full of it but he didn't notice at all," Annabeth said chuckling. ****

**"Yeah, whatever," he decided.**

**He went back to his game.**

**"Thank you, Percy," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about...**

**whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"**

**For a moment, I thought I saw anxiety in her eyes—the same fear I'd seen in Grover during the bus ride—as if my mom too felt an odd chill in the air.**

"I did," Sally said, frowning.****

**But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been mistaken. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.**

**An hour later we were ready to leave.**

**Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking—and more important, his '78 Camaro—for the whole weekend.**

"Right, that's what you should be whining about," Annabeth growled. ****

**"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag. "Not one little scratch."**

"He's only twelve. Like he'd be driving the car!" Reyna exclaimed.****

**Like I'd be the one driving. I was twelve. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.**

"People seem to like blaming me for things I don't do," Percy said, glaring at Zeus and Hades. ****

**Watching him lumber back toward the apartment building, I got so mad I did something I can't explain. As Gabe reached the doorway, I made the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. The screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon. Maybe it was just the wind, or some freak accident with the hinges, but I didn't stay long enough to find out.**

Everyone stared in shock at Percy.

"That was…Awesome!" Leo, Apollo and Hermes exclaimed. ****

**I got in the Camaro and told my mom to step on it. Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.**

**I loved the place.**

"Of course you do," Annabeth said smiling, ignoring the mention of the spiders. ****

**We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her. It was the place where she'd met my dad.**

Sally and Poseidon shared a smile. ****

**As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea.**

Everyone looked between Sally and Annabeth, remembering what had happened just a bit ago. This was strange. ****

**We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.**

**I guess I should explain the blue food.**

"That would be nice," Frank said. ****

**See, Gabe had once told my mom there was no such thing. They had this fight, which seemed like a really small thing at the time. But ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue. She baked blue birthday cakes. She mixed blueberry smoothies. She bought blue-corn tortilla chips and brought home blue candy from the shop. This—along with keeping her maiden name, Jackson, rather than calling herself Mrs. Ugliano—was proof that she wasn't totally suckered by Gabe. She did have a rebellious streak, like me. **

Annabeth snorted. "It's more than a rebellious streak Percy. If it was just that then we wouldn't get into a half of the trouble we get into." ****

**When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.**

**Eventually, I got up the nerve to ask about what was always on my mind whenever we came to Montauk—my father. Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, but I never got tired of hearing them.**

**"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes."**

Everyone nodded at this. ****

**Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, Percy. He would be so proud." I wondered how she could say that. What was so great about me? A dyslexic, hyperactive boy with a D+ report card, kicked out of school for the sixth time in six years.**

"I am proud Percy, never forget that," Poseidon said to his son who nodded.****

**"How old was I?" I asked. "I mean ... when he left?"**

**She watched the flames. "He was only with me for one summer, Percy. Right here at this beach. This cabin."**

**"But... he knew me as a baby."**

**"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."**

**I tried to square that with the fact that I seemed to remember ... something about my father. A warm glow. A smile.**

There was muttering as people tried to figure out what that meant. Did Percy actually see his father's true form as a child or was that just an expression of what he was feeling when his father simply came by to visit. ****

**I had always assumed he knew me as a baby. My mom had never said it outright, but still, I'd felt it must be true. Now, to be told that he'd never even seen me ...**

"That's not true. I visited you a few times," Poseidon said causing Zeus, Hades, Hera, Tryton and Amphitrite to glare at him. ****

**I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for going on that ocean voyage, for not having the guts to marry my mom. He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.**

**"Are you going to send me away again?" I asked her. "To another boarding school?"**

**She pulled a marshmallow from the fire.**

**"I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."**

**"Because you don't want me around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.**

"Good," Annabeth growled, glaring at her boyfriend.****

**My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I—I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."**

**Her words reminded me of what Mr. Brunner had said—that it was best for me to leave Yancy.**

**"Because I'm not normal," I said.**

**"You say that as if it's a bad thing, Percy. But you don't realize how important you are. I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe." "Safe from what?"**

"Do you need a list because I don't think even these books cover everything," Thalia said.****

**She met my eyes, and a flood of memories came back to me—all the weird, scary things that had ever happened to me, some of which I'd tried to forget.**

"Rather that than my whole life," Percy said, glaring at Hera.

**During third grade, a man in a black trench coat had stalked me on the playground. When the teachers threatened to call the police, he went away growling, but no one believed me when I told them that under his broad-brimmed hat, the man only had one eye, right in the middle of his head.**

"It was one of your half-brothers I sent to watch over you," Poseidon said at the questioning glances.

**Before that—a really early memory. I was in preschool, and a teacher accidentally put me down for a nap in a cot that a snake had slithered into. My mom screamed when she came to pick me up and found me playing with a limp, scaly rope I'd somehow managed to strangle to death with my meaty toddler hands.**

Everyone stared at Percy.

"Hercules!" Leo exclaimed.

"Well you definitely have strength kid. I'll give you that," the demigod son of Zeus said from where he sat with the other immortals. Percy nodded his head at Hercules. Secretly he wondered how they would react to the other things he had done like with the Minotaur. He seemed to deal with the problems of past heroes.****

**In every single school, something creepy had happened, something unsafe, and I was forced to move.**

**I knew I should tell my mom about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds at the art museum, about my weird hallucination that I had sliced my math teacher into dust with a sword.**

"Too bad they weren't hallucinations," Percy said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Nico said. "Then I wouldn't have to deal with her ranting on about either you or honey whenever I go to the Underworld." ****

**But I couldn't make myself tell her. I had a strange feeling the news would end our trip to Montauk, and I didn't want that.**

"Yeah. Because a trip to a beach is more important than your safety," Annabeth said, huffing.****

**"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, Percy—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."**

**"My father wanted me to go to a special school?"**

**"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."**

"That clears it up," Thalia said sarcastically.****

**My head was spinning. Why would my dad—who hadn't even stayed around long enough to see me born— talk to my mom about a summer camp? And if it was so important, why hadn't she ever mentioned it before? "I'm sorry, Percy," she said, seeing the look in my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."**

**"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..."**

"Exactly!" Thalia exclaimed.****

**She turned toward the fire, and I knew from her expression that if I asked her any more questions she would start to cry. That night I had a vivid dream.**

**It was storming on the beach, and two beautiful animals, a white horse and a golden eagle, were trying to kill each other at the edge of the surf. The eagle swooped down and slashed the horse's muzzle with its huge talons. The horse reared up and kicked at the eagles wings. As they fought, the ground rumbled, and a monstrous voice chuckled somewhere beneath the earth, goading the animals to fight harder.**

Percy shuddered, remembering the dream. He just hoped he and Jason didn't end up fighting like those two. He fought enough with Thalia and Nico as it was. ****

**I ran toward them, knowing I had to stop them from killing each other, but I was running in slow motion. I knew I would be too late. I saw the eagle dive down, its beak aimed at the horse's wide eyes, and I screamed, No! I woke with a start.**

Percy sent a glare at Zeus, who gulped in response. 'Note to Self,' he thought. 'Avoid making Percy mad at all costs. I definitely don't want to end up like Father.'****

**Outside, it really was storming, the kind of storm that cracks trees and blows down houses.**

**There was no horse or eagle on the beach, just lightning making false daylight, and twenty-foot waves pounding the dunes like artillery.**

**With the next thunderclap, my mom woke. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."**

**I knew that was crazy. Long Island never sees hurricanes this early in the summer. But the ocean seemed to have forgotten. Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end.**

Poseidon blushed at the stares he was getting.****

**Then a much closer noise, like mallets in the sand. A desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door.**

**My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.**

**Grover stood framed in the doorway against a backdrop of pouring rain. But he wasn't... he wasn't exactly Grover.**

"Huh?" Leo and several others said.****

**"Searching all night," he gasped. "What were you thinking?"**

"My first mistake. Percy doesn't think," Grover said.

"Hey!" Percy exclaimed.****

**My mother looked at me in terror—not scared of Grover, but of why he'd come.**

**"Percy," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"**

**I was frozen, looking at Grover. I couldn't understand what I was seeing. "O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" he yelled. "It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"**

"Nope," Annabeth, Sally and Athena replied together.****

**I was too shocked to register that he'd just cursed in Ancient Greek, and I'd understood him perfectly. I was too shocked to wonder how Grover had gotten here by himself in the middle of the night. Because Grover didn't have his pants on—and where his legs should be ... where his legs should be ...**

"Were what?" Leo asked, bouncing on the edge of his seat.

Everyone just stared at him.

"Wow!" Percy said to Nico. "He's even worse than you were when we first found you."

Nico frowned, crossing his arms. "I thought we agreed never to mention that."

**My mom looked at me sternly and talked in a tone she'd never used before: "Percy. Tell me now!"**

**I stammered something about the old ladies at the fruit stand, and Mrs. Dodds, and my mom stared at me, her face deathly pale in the flashes of lightning.**

**She grabbed her purse, tossed me my rain jacket, and said, "Get to the car. Both of you. Go!"**

**Grover ran for the Camaro—but he wasn't running, exactly. He was trotting, shaking his shaggy hindquarters, and suddenly his story about a muscular disorder in his legs made sense to me. I understood how he could run so fast and still limp when he walked.**

**Because where his feet should be, there were no feet. There were cloven hooves.**

"Oh," Leo said, causing Piper and Jason to shake their heads. "Well, who needs pants?"

Everyone just stared at him.

"I can't believe I'm going to say this," Artemis said, turning to Apollo. "But I think we just found someone who's crazier than you, Hermes and Hades."

"Hey!" the three gods and their children exclaimed.

"That's the end of the chapter," Sally said.

"We'll take a break so everyone can catch up before resuming in an hour," said Zeus. Agreement filled the room. Soon all the gods were gone leaving the mortals alone in the throne room.

"So as much as I'd like to spend time alone with my girlfriend I believe there are more important matters to discuss," Percy said seriously.

Jason nodded. "We need to combine our information and figure out how we're going to protect both camps and all three Olympuses at the same time as well as getting the gods on our side and finding a way to close the Doors of Death , all while fighting Mother Earth, Giants and monsters that should be dead or faded but aren't."

"You make it sound like we're doomed," Reyna said.

"We won't be if we work together and use the right plans," Percy said. "We defeated Kronos and the Titans. If anyone can do it, we can. That's why we were chosen."

"He's right," Annabeth said. "History is repeating itself. We can't let Gaia succeed." She turned to Percy as something occurred to her. "Seaweed Brain, do you remember Antaeus?" she asked.

Percy nodded. "You mean the second evil half-brother of mine that I met, the giant in the labyrinth that kept coming back with the help of the earth because…" his eyes widened in realization, "because he was the son of Gaia and she was helping him." He stared at Annabeth in shock. "How could we have missed that?

Grover let out a bleat, his eyes wide in realization as well. "This is bad."

"What are you talking about?" Hazel asked.

Percy ignored her, his thoughts still on Antaeus. "If we're right then she's stronger than we realized and this just got a whole lot harder."

Jason frowned. "Care to explain?" he asked.

Annabeth sighed, resting against Percy. "Basically, Gaia might be able to use her powers to resurrect the giants as long as they're touching the ground."

"So basically, unless we close the Doors of Death we're doomed," Jason said.

Percy sighed. "We could really use some hope right about now," Suddenly he shot straight up, his eyes wide. "That's it!" he exclaimed.

Annabeth's eyes widended as she caught on. "No Percy, that's absolutely crazy. You know what would happen if we did that. There's no way that would help us at all."

Percy stood and made his way over to the hearth and stared at it. "We've got to try something. It can't end like this. Not after everything that's happened."

"And it won't," Annabeth said. "But we need to examine all our options before we risk opening it. There's got to be a way."

"Not unless a miracle happens," Percy said, turning to her. "First Kronos and now Gaia. Who's next, the rest of the Primordials?" He sighed. "When did our lives get so chaotic?" As he asked this he and Annabeth felt a shiver and both heard an eerie feminine laugh in their minds.

'_**Chaos indeed,' **_a voice said. _**'You have no idea.' **_Percy and Annabeth's eyes met and they shared a terrified glance. That was not Gaia's voice.

Meanwhile Poseidon and Athena were alone in Poseidon's room. Athena was sitting on his bed while Poseidon was pacing back and forth.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

"We have to tell them," Athena replied. "They need to know." She sighed solemnly. "I just wish I hadn't had that fight with Annabeth recently."

Poseidon stopped pacing in front of her and stared at her softly. "You will Athena. I know how much you care about her. This doesn't change anything."

Athena shook her head. "It changes everything," she said. "The whole reason we did it was to protect them. We can't do that anymore. They might not even make it to Rome. They're at the mercy of the Fates and _her _now."

Poseidon laid a shoulder. "If anyone can handle this, they can. We have to have faith in them. I have a feeling everything will turn out right in the end. If anything _she'll _regret ever choosing them in the first place."

Athena smiled. "You're right." She chuckled. "That's not something I say very often." She stared at him, wondering how her biggest rival had turned into the one person she relied on completely and would break her oath for. "What would I do without you?" she asked, standing.

Poseidon chuckled. "You'd probably go mad," he replied.

Suddenly they both froze as a familiar presence filled the air.

"_**They will be mine," **_a voice spoke. _**"There is no hope. Your pitiful mark cannot stop it from happening. I will have what I want in the end."**_

Just like that the presence was gone and Poseidon and Athena were left standing alone in the room. Athena trembled and stared at Poseidon and repeated his question from earlier. "What are we going to do?" This time Athena didn't have a plan.

**A.N.: Who is the mysterious woman? What does she want with Annabeth and Percy? What did she do to them that led Athena and Poseidon to work together? Stay tuned for chapter 4 to find out more. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Percy: Okay, well Hinata001 asked if we could introduce this chapter since she's kinda busy.**

**Hinata001 (Dancing): Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!**

**Percy: Don't ask. Anyways. She wants to say that she doesn't own Percy Jackson, though she wishes she could. Hey!**

**Hinata001: What? You're every girl's dream. **

**Percy: Shouldn't you be dancing somewhere?**

**Hinata001: Nope. I'm all done. **

**Percy: What was that about anyways?**

**Hinata001: I looked at this stories stats more closely and since I posted the last chapter I've gotten way more hits and visitors! *sighs* But still no more reviews. *Goes into the corner and curls up into a ball.* (Mutters) What do they think of it? They hate it don't they**_**. *starts crying***_

**Percy: Ok. Let's hope her rapid mood swings don't affect this chapter. **

**Dionysus: That's not going to happen**

**Percy: Where did you come from?**

**Dionysus: I've been here the whole time. Pay attention Peter Johnson. **

**Percy: It's not… *sighs* whatever. Let's just get on with the story. **

A.N.: Sorry, thought I'd do something different for a change.

Ch. 4: Secrets, Revelations and Bulls

As the throne room filled again the focus of the two sea and wisdom couples was not on the next chapter but on the presence they had felt and heard just moments before. All four of them recognized it and feared what it meant.

Annabeth glanced over at her boyfriend who shared a knowing look, his fingers teasing her strand of silver hair. There was no doubt in their minds who or rather what they had sensed. They had both felt its power once before, had carried its burden. It was something they would never forget.

Athena was doing her best not to glance over at Poseidon as she conversed telepathically with him.

_"When should we tell them," Poseidon asked. _

_ "Soon," she replied. "Knowing them they probably sensed her and have at least figured out who she is." She glanced over to where Percy was playing with Annabeth's strand of gray hair while seeming to converse with her silently like they were. _

"I'll read," Nico said, the book appearing in his hands. This distracted the two couples from their musings.

**Chapter 4: My Mother Teaches Me Bullfighting**

Poseidon, Percy and Paul (who Sally had told the story to) groaned.

Hades trembled in his chair, waiting for the two beings of the sea to turn their anger on him but was shocked when they didn't. The two of them seemed too busy dealing with whatever had happened over the break. Sighing he shook his head. He'd never understand them. They were as unpredictable as the sea they controlled. Paul,however… He shuddered surprisingly under the mortal's glare.

"I'm right here guys," Sally said, chuckling at the three's overprotectiveness. She leaned against Paul, who just grinned sheepishly.

**We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the windshield. I didn't know how my mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.**

**Every time there was a flash of lightning, I looked at Grover sitting next to me in the backseat and I wondered if I'd gone insane, or if he was wearing some kind of shag-carpet pants.**

"Seriously, shag-carpet pants?" Reyna asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy blushed. "I was in denial," he said.

**But, no, the smell was one I remembered from kindergarten field trips to the petting zoo— lanolin, like from wool. The smell of a wet barnyard animal.**

Grover huffed.

"Well it's true G-man," Percy said. "You are part goat which definitely doesn't mix with rain, which you had been running in for hours."

Grover glared at him.

"Percy, honestly, you have no tact," Annabeth said, reaching and hitting her boyfriend on the back who yelped.

"OW! Wise Girl!" he exclaimed. "That hurt!" His eyes widened and he stared at her. That had been his Achilles Heel. Apparently, even though his invincibility was gone the spot was still his most sensitive spot.

"That was the point, Seaweed Brain," she said, grinning.

The rest of the throne room watched this with amusement. They had a feeling it wouldn't belike this for much longer.

**All I could think to say was, "So, you and my mom... know each other?"**

**Graver's eyes flitted to the rearview mirror, though there were no cars behind us. "Not exactly," he said. "I mean, we've never met in person. But she knew I was watching you."**

"Stalker," Hazel muttered, remembering the fauns at Camp Jupiter. She understood that Grover was different and just doing his job but it was still hard not to associate him with Don and the others that kept following her for her jewels that they didn't know were deadly.

**"Watching me?"**

**"Keeping tabs on you. Making sure you were okay. But I wasn't faking being your friend," he added hastily. "I am your friend."**

"I am," Grover said, staring at his two friends worriedly. He had felt relieved when he saw their interaction but he could still sense that something was wrong and that they were extremely worried about something.

"I know G-man," Percy said grinning, causing Grover to relax slightly.

**"Urn ... what are you, exactly?"**

**"That doesn't matter right now."**

**"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey—"**

Dionysus chuckled evilly "Bad move Perry."

**Grover let out a sharp, throaty "Blaa-ha-ha!"**

**I'd heard him make that sound before, but I'd always assumed it was a nervous laugh. Now I realized it was more of an irritated bleat.**

**"Goat!" he cried.**

**"What?"**

**"I'm a goat from the waist down."**

**"You just said it didn't matter."**

"In his defense you did say that," Thalia said.

**"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"**

The mortals shuddered at the thought while Dionysus seemed to relish it.

**"Whoa. Wait. Satyrs. You mean like ... Mr. Brunner's myths?"**

**"Were those old ladies at the fruit stand a myth, Percy? Was Mrs. Dodds a myth?"**

"That wasn't really the best time to get philosophical Grover," Jason said.

"I was trying to get him to realize the truth," Grover replied, "something I should have realized would never work."

**"So you admit there was a Mrs. Dodds!"**

Thaliai rolled her eyes. "That's really not the point he was trying to get across Kelp Head," she said.

**"Of course." "Then why—"**

**"The less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract," Grover said, like that should be perfectly obvious. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think the Kindly One was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."**

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like he's a god or something."

Percy chuckled. "Or something."

**"Who I—wait a minute, what do you mean?"**

**The weird bellowing noise rose up again somewhere behind us, closer than before. Whatever was chasing us was still on our trail.**

**"Percy," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."**

**"Safety from what? Who's after me?"**

Annabeth sighed. "Who isn't?"

Athena and Poseidon shared a glance.

**"Oh, nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about the donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."**

"And that's the least of my worries," Percy muttered.

**"Grover!"**

**"Sorry, Mrs. Jackson. Could you drive faster, please?"**

**I tried to wrap my mind around what was happening, but I couldn't do it. I knew this wasn't a dream. I had no imagination. I could never dream up something this weird.**

**My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road, racing past darkened farmhouses and wooded hills and PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES signs on white picket fences.**

"Really?" Frank asked. The demigods who had been to Camp Half-Blood nodded.

**"Where are we going?" I asked.**

**"The summer camp I told you about." My mother's voice was tight; she was trying for my sake not to be scared. "The place your father wanted to send you."**

**"The place you didn't want me to go."**

**"Please, dear," my mother begged. "This is hard enough. Try to understand. You're in danger."**

"When aren't I? Percy asked.

**"Because some old ladies cut yarn." "Those weren't old ladies," Grover said. "Those were the Fates. Do you know what it means—the fact they appeared in front of you? They only do that when you're about to ... when someone's about to die."**

**"Whoa. You said 'you.'"**

**"No I didn't. I said 'someone.'"**

**"You meant 'you.' As in me."**

**"I meant you, like 'someone.' Not you, you."**

"Anybody else as confused as I am?" Leo asked. Ares, Apollo and Hermes raised their hands.

Percy glared at them before turning to Annabeth and wrapping her in his arms. Though she was keeping up a brave front it was obvious the reminder of Luke had hit her hard and that she had just realized she would have to hear about what he had done for Kronos.

**"Boys!" my mom said.**

Artemis and Thalia nodded.

**She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid—a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm.**

Everybody tensed in anticipation.

**"What was that?" I asked.**

**"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring my question. "Another mile. Please. Please.**

**Please."**

**I didn't know where there was, but I found myself leaning forward in the car, anticipating, wanting us to arrive.**

**Outside, nothing but rain and darkness—the kind of empty countryside you get way out on the tip of Long Island. I thought about Mrs. Dodds and the moment when she'd changed into the thing with pointed teeth and leathery wings. My limbs went numb from delayed shock. She really hadn't been human. She'd meant to kill me.**

Annabeth chuckled dryly. "You're so slow Percy."

"Hey," he said. "In my defense I was twelve and couldn't really believe all the weird stuff that was suddenly happening."

Annabeth grinned. "Really, and what's your excuse now?"

**Then I thought about Mr. Brunner ... and the sword he had thrown me. Before I could ask Grover about that, the hair rose on the back of my neck. There was a blinding flash, a jaw-rattling boom!, and our car exploded.**

All eyes turned to Zeus at that much to Hades' relief only for it to crash when he noticed Poseidon wasn't just looking at his brother. Both brother's shuddered at Poseidon's glare.

**I remember feeling weightless, like I was being crushed, fried, and hosed down all at the same time.**

"Ah, the good old days," Percy said. The dips in the Styx and Little Tiber had been a lot worse.

**I peeled my forehead off the back of the driver's seat and said, "Ow."**

Thalia stared at him. "Really Percy, that's all you can say."

**"Percy!" my mom shouted. "I'm okay... ."**

**I tried to shake off the daze. I wasn't dead. The car hadn't really exploded. We'd swerved into a ditch. Our driver's-side doors were wedged in the mud. The roof had cracked open like an eggshell and rain was pouring in.**

Paul glanced worriedly at his wife, reminding himself she was okay.

**Lightning. That was the only explanation. **

Everyone's gazes returned to Zeus who blushed under the weight of all the glares.

**We'd been blasted right off the road. Next to me in the backseat was a big motionless lump. "Grover!"**

**He was slumped over, blood trickling from the side of his mouth. I shook his furry hip, thinking, No! Even if you are half barnyard animal, you're my best friend and I don't want you to die! Then he groaned "Food," and I knew there was hope.**

"I"ll have to remember that," Leo said laughing. At Grover's glare he stopped. "Or not. I'd be glad to forget that."

Several people laughed, glad for the humor.

**"Percy," my mother said, "we have to ..." Her voice faltered.**

**I looked back. In a flash of lightning, through the mud-spattered rear windshield, I saw a figure lumbering toward us on the shoulder of the road. The sight of it made my skin crawl. It was a dark silhouette of a huge guy, like a football player. He seemed to be holding a blanket over his head. His top half was bulky and fuzzy. His upraised hands made it look like he had horns.**

Those who hadn't known about the Minotaur or knew some of what he had faced stared at Percy in shock.

**I swallowed hard. "Who is—"**

**"Percy," my mother said, deadly serious. "Get out of the car."**

**My mother threw herself against the driver's-side door. It was jammed shut in the mud. I tried mine. Stuck too. I looked up desperately at the hole in the roof. It might've been an exit, but the edges were sizzling and smoking.**

**"Climb out the passenger's side!" my mother told me. "Percy—you have to run. Do you see that big tree?"**

Thalia grinned.

**"What?"**

"More like a who," Percy whispered to Annabeth who smiled slightly, though she was still tense with worry.

**Another flash of lightning, and through the smoking hole in the roof I saw the tree she meant: a huge, White House Christmas tree-sized pine at the crest of the nearest hill.**

Reyna turned to Percy and Annabeth. "Is there something special about that tree?" she asked.

They just grinned. "You'll see," Percy said.

**"That's the property line," my mom said. "Get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Run and don't look back. Yell for help. Don't stop until you reach the door." **

**"Mom, you're coming too."**

Hera stared at the young hero she had chosen to be one of the Seven. His loyalty to others would either be a great help, or a huge hindrance in the war to come.

**Her face was pale, her eyes as sad as when she looked at the ocean.**

**"No!" I shouted. "You are coming with me. Help me carry Grover."**

**"Food!" Grover moaned, a little louder.**

Everyone laughed causing Grover to blush.

**The man with the blanket on his head kept coming toward us, making his grunting, snorting noises. As he got closer, I realized he couldn't be holding a blanket over his head, because his hands—huge meaty hands—were swinging at his sides. There was no blanket. Meaning the bulky, fuzzy mass that was too big to be his head ... was his head. And the points that looked like horns ...**

"Were souvenirs to keep on your cabin wall?" Nico asked in a serious voice causing most of the readers to stare at him like he was crazy.

"Only one," Percy replied in the same tone, then grinned and chuckled as if remembering something funny.

**"He doesn't want us," my mother told me. "He wants you. Besides, I can't cross the property line."**

**"But..."**

**"We don't have time, Percy. Go. Please."**

**I got mad, then—mad at my mother, at Grover the goat, at the thing with horns that was lumbering toward us slowly and deliberately like, like a bull.**

Several of the crowd shuddered and glanced at Percy wearily.

"Uh, oh," NIco said, grinning. "Here comes Percy's famous temper that has gotten him into several messes and out of a few others."

**I climbed across Grover and pushed the door open into the rain. "We're going together. Come on, Mom."**

**"I told you—"**

**"Mom! I am not leaving you. Help me with Grover."**

"And there's leader Percy," Thalia said to the other demigods who didn't really know Percy. "When he gives an order it's impossible not to obey."

They glanced at each other and at Percy. With everything they were learning about him he seemed more and more unreal and dangerous. Who exactly was he?

**I didn't wait for her answer. I scrambled outside, dragging Grover from the car. He was surprisingly light, but I couldn't have carried him very far if my mom hadn't come to my aid.**

"I'm sure you would have found a way if you weren't so loyal," Annabeth said. She turned to Sally. "No offense Mrs. Blowfis."

"None taken," Sally replied. "It's one of the things we both love about him."

Percy, who had been frowning at Annabeth's comment blushed and then grinned when his mother said that.

**Together, we draped Grover's arms over our shoulders and started stumbling uphill through wet waist-high grass.**

**Glancing back, I got my first clear look at the monster. He was seven feet tall, easy, his arms and legs like something from the cover of Muscle Man magazine—bulging biceps and triceps and a bunch of other 'ceps, all stuffed like baseballs under vein-webbed skin. He wore no clothes except underwear—I mean, bright white Fruit of the Looms—which would've looked funny, except that the top half of his body was so scary. **

"Tell me about it," a ghostly voice said. The crowd turned their eyes to the ghosts that had flocked into the room, most of them past heroes. The one who had spoken was Theseus. Beside him walked Percy's namesake Perseus. At this realization they looked at Hades and Nico who shrugged.

"I brought them here," Thanatos said, following after the ghosts. "They won't talk much but I heard about the books and thought it would be a great idea for them to hear about the latest heroes. They won't be the only ones to join us. I'm sure a few other people will come in later chapters and books." He shared a knowinggrin with Apollo.

**Coarse brown hair started at about his belly button and got thicker as it reached his shoulders.**

**His neck was a mass of muscle and fur leading up to his enormous head, which had a snout as long as my arm, snotty nostrils with a gleaming brass ring, cruel black eyes, and horns—enormous black-and-white horns with points you just couldn't get from an electric sharpener.**

**I recognized the monster, all right. He had been in one of the first stories Mr. Brunner told us.**

**But he couldn't be real.**

**I blinked the rain out of my eyes. "That's—"**

**"Pasiphae's son," my mother said. "I wish I'd known how badly they want to kill you."**

"And I was only just beginning to worry," Sally said, shaking her head.

**"But he's the Min—" "Don't say his name," she warned. "Names have power."**

"I know," Percy said. "I just don't care. That hasn't stopped them from finding me before."

**The pine tree was still way too far—a hundred yards uphill at least.**

**I glanced behind me again.**

**The bull-man hunched over our car, looking in the windows—or not looking, exactly. More like snuffling, nuzzling. I wasn't sure why he bothered, since we were only about fifty feet away.**

Before Annabeth could answer, Percy shook his head. "I know now Wise Girl, Mom told me."

**"Food?" Grover moaned.**

Everyvody chuckled.

**"Shhh," I told him. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"**

"Nope," Percy answered his own question.

**"His sight and hearing are terrible," she said. "He goes by smell. But he'll figure out where we are soon enough."**

**As if on cue, the bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, the chassis creaking and groaning. He raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop. The gas tank exploded.**

**Not a scratch, I remembered Gabe saying.**

**Oops.**

The whole room filled with laughter. Trust Percy to find humor in a deadly situation.

**"Percy," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way— directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"**

Athena nodded. "Good advice," she complimented causing everyone to stare at her in shock. "Let's just hope he follows it."

**"How do you know all this?"**

**"I've been worried about an attack for a long time. I should have expected this. I was selfish, keeping you near me."**

"It's obvious you didn't just get your loyalty from Poseidon," Annabeth whispered to Percy who nodded.

**"Keeping me near you? But—"**

**Another bellow of rage, and the bull-man started tromping uphill.**

**He'd smelled us.**

Everyone listened anxiously.

**The pine tree was only a few more yards, but the hill was getting steeper and slicker, and Grover wasn't getting any lighter. The bull-man closed in. Another few seconds and he'd be on top of us.**

**My mother must've been exhausted, but she shouldered Grover. "Go, Percy! Separate! Remember what I said."**

Percy clutched onto Annabeth like a lifeline while Poseidon trembled in his chair, glancing between Athena and Sally who was comforting Paul. Hades glanced around the room for a possible escape if needed. One glare from Athena, Annabeth and Sally however stopped him.

**I didn't want to split up, but I had the feeling she was right—it was our only chance. I sprinted to the left, turned, and saw the creature bearing down on me. His black eyes glowed with hate. He reeked like rotten meat.**

Theseus's ghost nodded in agreement. "Not something you forget," he said.

Percy chuckled. "Gabe, my first step-dad, smelled a lot worse."

**He lowered his head and charged, those razor-sharp horns aimed straight at my chest.**

**The fear in my stomach made me want to bolt, but that wouldn't work. I could never outrun this thing. So I held my ground, and at the last moment, I jumped to the side.**

Everyone sighed in relief.

**The bull-man stormed past like a freight train, then bellowed with frustration and turned, but not toward me this time, toward my mother, who was setting Grover down in the grass.**

The relief turned to worry and everyone glanced at Sally.

**We'd reached the crest of the hill. Down the other side I could see a valley, just as my mother had said, and the lights of a farmhouse glowing yellow through the rain. But that was half a mile away. We'd never make it.**

Hazel and Frank glanced between Percy and Sally in worry. They knew they were okay but what had the cost been for making it to the camp. Something had definitely happened judging by their faces.

**The bull-man grunted, pawing the ground. He kept eyeing my mother, who was now retreating slowly downhill, back toward the road, trying to lead the monster away from Grover.**

**"Run, Percy!" she told me. "I can't go any farther. Run!"**

**But I just stood there, frozen in fear, as the monster charged her. She tried to sidestep, as she'd told me to do, but the monster had learned his lesson. His hand shot out and grabbed her by the neck as she tried to get away. He lifted her as she struggled, kicking and pummeling the air.**

"No!" Everyone (Except the obvious) screamed.

**"Mom!"**

**She caught my eyes, managed to choke out one last word: "Go!"**

**Then, with an angry roar, the monster closed his fists around my mother's neck, and she dissolved before my eyes, melting into light, a shimmering golden form, as if she were a holographic projection. A blinding flash, and she was simply ... gone.**

"I'm fine guys," Sally said.

"But, how?" Hazel asked glancing between her and Hades who she noticed was scared. She didn't think it was because Sally was like her. The resurrections hadn't started until just a few months ago, not enough time for her to go ahead and marry someone else that Percy obviously knew.

**"No!" Anger replaced my fear. Newfound strength burned in my limbs—the same rush of energy I'd gotten when Mrs. Dodds grew talons.**

Annabeth grinned dryly. "And now you're about to see Percy the warrior when he's angry."  
>"You said he had a temper," Hazel said.<p>

Annabeth nodded. "Yes, but there's a huge difference between that and an angry Percy, especially one who just lost someone he cares about."

**The bull-man bore down on Grover, who lay helpless in the grass. The monster hunched over, snuffling my best friend, as if he were about to lift Grover up and make him dissolve too.**

**I couldn't allow that.**

**I stripped off my red rain jacket.**

"And here comes stupid plan Percy to join Warrior Percy," Thalia said.

**"Hey!" I screamed, waving the jacket, running to one side of the monster. "Hey, stupid! Ground beef!"**

Several people chuckle.

Perseus stared at his successor. "You've got guts kid. I'll give you that."

**"Raaaarrrrr!" The monster turned toward me, shaking his meaty fists.**

**I had an idea—a stupid idea, but better than no idea at all. I put my back to the big pine tree and waved my red jacket in front of the bull-man, thinking I'd jump out of the way at the last moment. But it didn't happen like that.**

"What did happen was a whole lot cooler," Percy said, puffing out his chest, which Annabeth promptly smacked.

**The bull-man charged too fast, his arms out to grab me whichever way I tried to dodge.**

**Time slowed down.**

Percy narrowed his eyes at that. It sounded like Kronos but he doubted the Titan had done that. It felt like someone else.

**My legs tensed. I couldn't jump sideways, so I leaped straight up, kicking off from the creature's head, using it as a springboard, turning in midair, and landing on his neck.**

Most of the room, including several of the Olympians and ghosts, gaped at Percy who just grinned smugly.

**How did I do that? I didn't have time to figure it out. A millisecond later, the monster's head slammed into the tree and the impact nearly knocked my teeth out.**

Thalia glared at Percy. She had felt that.

**The bull-man staggered around, trying to shake me. I locked my arms around his horns to keep from being thrown. Thunder and lightning were still going strong. The rain was in my eyes.**

**The smell of rotten meat burned my nostrils.**

**The monster shook himself around and bucked like a rodeo bull. He should have just backed up into the tree and smashed me flat, but I was starting to realize that this thing had only one gear: forward.**

There were several light chuckles at this but most of them were too focused on what was happening.

**Meanwhile, Grover started groaning in the grass. I wanted to yell at him to shut up, but the way I was getting tossed around, if I opened my mouth I'd bite my own tongue off. "Food!" Grover moaned.**

The room filled with laughter this time causing Percy to huff at the fact that they had laughed at Grover and not at his joke.

**The bull-man wheeled toward him, pawed the ground again, and got ready to charge. I thought about how he had squeezed the life out of my mother, made her disappear in a flash of light, and rage filled me like high-octane fuel. I got both hands around one horn and I pulled backward with all my might. **

"Nice try kid but unless you have my strength it's not going to work," Hercules said.

Percy just smirked and gestured for Nico to keep reading.

**The monster tensed, gave a surprised grunt, then—snap! The bull-man screamed and flung me through the air. I landed flat on my back in the grass.**

The stunned silence in the room combined with the shocked stares and gapes from everyone (gods, demigods and creatures alike) he was getting made Percy blush.

"What? That was nothing," he said. "Nobody messes with people I care about," he added more seriously. He glared at a few of the Olympian gods who did their best to not show their fear. Poseidon just grinned proudly at his son.

"Yes," Zeus said, his voice trembling slightly. "I believe we've learned that."

"Definitely not a wimp," several people heard Ares mutter from his throne.

Hephaestus chuckled, wrapping his arm around Aphrodite. Any kid who could beat Ares and several Titans was good in his book.

**My head smacked against a rock. When I sat up, my vision was blurry, but I had a horn in my hands, a ragged bone weapon the size of a knife.**

"And here it comes," Thalia said, having been one of the few who had not been shocked by what Percy had done.

**The monster charged.**

**Without thinking, I rolled to one side and came up kneeling. As the monster barreled past, I drove the broken horn straight into his side, right up under his furry rib cage.**

**The bull-man roared in agony. He flailed, clawing at his chest, then began to disintegrate—not like my mother, in a flash of golden light, but like crumbling sand, blown away in chunks by the wind, the same way Mrs. Dodds had burst apart.**

The room filled with cheers and applause. Percy blushed, not knowing whether he preferred the stunned silence.

Jason turned to Thalia. "You keep mentioning all these sides to Percy," he said. "I can see why now."

Thalia nodded. "Yeah, he's as unpredictable and mysterious as the ocean. It's just who he is. You learn to go with it."

**The monster was gone.**

**The rain had stopped. The storm still rumbled, but only in the distance. I smelled like livestock and my knees were shaking. My head felt like it was splitting open. I was weak and scared and trembling with grief I'd just seen my mother vanish. I wanted to lie down and cry, but there was Grover, needing my help, so I managed to haul him up and stagger down into the valley, toward the lights of the farmhouse. I was crying, calling for my mother, but I held on to Grover—I wasn't going to let him go.**

"After what you just did Hun," Aphrodite said. "You deserve to cry all you want."

**The last thing I remember is collapsing on a wooden porch, looking up at a ceiling fan circling above me, moths flying around a yellow light, and the stern faces of a familiar-looking bearded man and a pretty girl, her blond hair curled like a princess's. They both looked down at me, and the girl said, "He's the one. He must be."**

Everyone stared at the couple who were both bright red. Nico and Leo were laughing hysterically at Percy's princess comment while Piper and Aphrodite grinned.

"I didn't mean it that way at the time," Annabeth choked out.

"Sure Annabeth, Sure," Nico said through his laughter. "Even if you didn't that doesn't take away the fact that it's totally true."

Suddenly water appeared out of nowhere and soaked him and Leo while several owls and seals appeared and began to peck and slap at them. Everyone stared at Athena and Poseidon who shrugged, though they had knowing looks on their faces. The stares then turned to Annabeth and Percy who were staring at each other in surprise to everyone's confusion.

"How did that just…" Percy said

"happen," Annabeth completed. "Did we just…"

"do that," Percy finished.

Annabeth frowned. "Okay, this is weird."  
>"Annabeth, can you call these owls off, please?" Nico cried out.<p>

Annabeth shook her head. "Sorry, but I can't."

"Why not?" Leo asked.

"I'm not the one who summoned them," she said.

"I did," Percy said causing everyone to stare at him in disbelief. "Annabeth summoned the wave and the seals."

"Okay guys, jokes over," Nico said. "Now call of these stupid birds and fish!"

Annabeth and Percy as well as their godly parents grinned. "You shouldn't have called them that," they said together.

This was obvious as the seals and owls began to chase Nico around the room causing people to have to dodge left and right.

Once it was obvious it would cause too much destruction Annabeth and Percy looked at each other and called the animals to them and then with the help of their parents sent them away.

It took an hour for everything to settle down.

Finally, Thalia, grabbed the book from Nico, slapping him before reading the last line.

**"Silence, Annabeth," the man said. "He's still conscious. Bring him inside."**

"That's it," Thalia said, marking and closing the book. "I'll read next. " She turned to Percy and Annabeth. "Now will you two please explain what just happened?"

"They're blessed by us," Poseidon said, causing all eyes to turn on him. "That along with the strong bond they have allows them to sometimes use each other's powers and know what the other is thinking or feeling."

Athena nodded. "It's part of why Percy couldn't forget Annabeth when Hera erased his memories even though he forgot everything else. Their bond was only amplified when Percy took the Achilles Curse as proven when she instinctively knew his weak spot. It only grew stronger when he lost it. It's like an empathy link but stronger." She glared at Hera. "If you hadn't tried to block them from each other it wouldn't have exploded like this."

To say the whole room was shocked was an understatement. Athena had blessed a son of Poseidon and allowed her daughter to be blessed by him. Not to mention the bond between Annabeth and Percy.

Nico, getting over his shock, grinned. "See, I was right," he said.

Ignoring him, Annabeth and Percy stared at Athena and Poseidon. "Is there anything else you're keeping from us?" Annabeth croaked out, thinking of the horrible meeting with her mother and the gift she had gotten.

The two gods glanced at each other. "We should talk somewhere private," Athena said. She turned to Zeus. "If that's alright with you father?" she asked. Zeus simply nodded. Whatever was about to happen he had a feeling things were about to change.

Athena turned to Artemis. "Then we need to talk later Sister," she said.

Artemis shook her head. "No need, it is done. I had a feeling something would happen. I may not be Aphrodite but I'm not blind." She glared at Poseidon. "You better take care of her," she said causing most of theroom to gape as they realized what they had been talking about.

Amphritite glared at her husband and Athena. She should have known.

Aphrodite squealed causing many to cover their ears.

Sally just smiled, happy for her ex-lover.

The varied reactions went on long after the two and their children slipped out of the throne room.

"At least I wasn't attacked," Hades said. "I'm surprised I wasn't skewered by Poseidon's trident. Should have known Athena had something to do with it."

"Wow," Thalia said, collapsing next to Nico, Grover and the other demigods. "No one from the camp is going to believe this."

Nico chuckled. "I wonder what the rest of Athena's cabin's reaction is going to be when they find out their mom repealed her oath and she and Poseidon are together."

Thalia grinned. "Probably the same as when they discovered Percy and Annabeth were together." She looked over to where the four had disappeared. "Speaking of which, I wonder what they're talking about in there."

Nico shrugged. "Who knows. Whatever it is I'm sure it's something big judging by Poseidon and Athena's faces. We'll just have to wait and see."

_**A.N.: Okay, this chapter was pretty hard to write at first because I wanted to hold back some things but give you some more hints. I hope I did a good job and made the character's reactions and the bond realistic as well as the ghosts. Did I explain everything well enough. I hadn't really planned for the ghosts to come or for the whole power switch. They sort of wrote themselves. I definitely like the whole reveal and reactions for Pothena. The power swap and bond definitely helped me with my decision to have them talk to Annabeth and Percy. It was the perfect opportunity. If you have any advice please give it. Tell me if I'm going too fast with the revelations or if I should go ahead and explain more. (This will be very useful in deciding what to do for the next chapter and whether I bring in a couple more people in then.) **_

_** By the way, I'm starting to write a Young Justice story with the Past (Season 1), Present (Season 2) and Future (a surprise that I'm sure people will like) watching the T.V. show. A fair warning, a couple from the future will be O.C.s and the characters you recognize might be OOC because I've never read the comics and they don't really appear in the show. This might change in Bloodlines for a couple of the characters. We'll see. It will be a couple of weeks but it will be well worth the wait. It's going to be different from this one as I have to write the episodes myself while watching them and for the script I'm writing in a different tense than I'm used to. Well, wish me luck that the over 30 odd characters don't take over and stage a revolt. It would be just like them. They've done it before. That's how the Team got started after all. Oh well. Red Hood says I have to get back to writing (not saying which one. Hint: It is NOT J.T. *Though he might appear in the story*). **_


	5. Chapter 5

A.N.: News, Thanks and a gift.

Alright. I'm writing this early as a gift to my fans. As I'm sure most of you know (but haven't said anything in your reviews to me about) reading the book fanfictions were threatened recently by a campaign by **HEART OF AIUR**. He was actually able to get several stories removed. I haven't been at ease since I learned of it. I continually checked to make sure my story hadn't been deleted. Luckily it's still here and ready to be continued. The culprit has since repealed his campaign (Which I don't see on his profile like everyone says) and we can rest easy knowing our stories are safe.

That being said. I understand why he did it but I find it amusing and disturbing that he thought he could get away with it. We are a large and vocal fanbase who will not stand for it. Even if our stories were deleted we would find somewhere else to post them. I wrote him a message with my thoughts so here's hoping we can convince him and others to never do this again. I would like to give a shout out to **Choices Hp**, **Jlmill9** and many others who have dedicated their time and effort to providing us with great stories that inspire us to write our own. Please spread this news and make sure they return and keep posting.

I would also like to give a shout out to all the fans and writers of reading the book stories and those like them out there. I would also like to thank **Kilana89, eragon0123, Marchtember-Oneteenth, Anime Princess **and everyone else who has reviewed my story.

**Marchtember-Oneteenth: **Just for you I have a special treat (or two). Read and enjoy.

**Anime Princess: **Read carefully, some of your questions may be answered. I'd also like to say thank you. That is the type of review that gets me thinking and plotting what I'm going to write next.

**Kilana89: **To your first review, yes. To your second, thank you. Like I said before I will fix the mistake. (**I will be replacing chapter 4 after I fix the mythology mistake I made about Perseus battling the Minatour.)**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Percy Jackson series.

Now, without further ado I present Chapter 5.

Chapter 5: Chaos, Camps and New arrivals

a.k.a: Chaos reigns, Disbelief is laughable and a murderer tries to stop a murder (Don't ask).

As they returned to the throne room with their godly parents (yes, I know I'm evil, get over it.) Percy and Annabeth were mulling over what they had just learned.

_"And here I thought the chaos in my life was normal," Percy said telepathically. _

_ Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Your life has never been normal, Seaweed Brain," she replied. _

_ "Neither has yours apparently," he retorted. _

Their conversation was cut short as they came across a very odd sight in the throne room. Most of the minor gods were gone but there was now a camera and screen obviously meant to record and broadcast the reading. Hephaestus was putting the finishing touches on it. Apollo seemed to be arguing with the book, which strangely enough was arguing back. He had obviously animated it so they wouldn't have to read. None of these things were what caught their attention however. It was the sight of two demigods arguing, a familiar blonde haired, blue eyed, scarred young man in between them that was shocking. He was trying to stop another familiar boy who looked a lot like him and a familiar red-haired, freckled faced girl from attacking each other. The ghosts of the past heroes (there was something strange and different about them) as well as the Roman and Greek demigods and others (all three groups larger than they remembered) were watching with looks ranging between amusement and scorn.

Percy and Annabeth glanced at each other before walking over to where the other demigods were standing. Their parents joined the other gods. Artemis immediately whispered something to both of them to which they nodded in relief.

"So, enjoying the show? " Percy asked the new arrivals which consisted of his friends from both camps.

"You know it Prissy," Clarisse said, grinning. "Glad you remember everything or I would have had to beat you up until you did. There's still time for that though."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Keep dreaming Clarisse."

"One Drachma says Rachael punches Octavian," Travis said.

"Fine, I say she'll punch Luke," Conner said.

"You're both wrong," Annabeth said. "She'll punch both of them."

Right as she said this Rachel attacked Octavian only for Luke to pull her off him to which she rewarded him with the same right hook she had just used on Camp Jupiter's Auger. Both Percy and Annabeth as well as several others stared in shock as it hit and Luke stumbled back, a fact that shouldn't have been possible. Percy glanced at the ghosts and suddenly it clicked.

Reluctantly the Stolls handed over the drachma to Annabeth.

"I can take care of myself Luke," Rachael exclaimed as she and a very solid Luke walked towards them.

"I know that Rachael," Luke said. "Sorry. It's just that guy…" He glared at the ground.

"Reminds you of how you used to be," Thalia finished from beside Nico who was talking to Hazel, Thanatos and Hades.

"Yeah," Luke said, looking up. His expression lightened when he noticed Percy and Annabeth. "Hey, you two. Congratulations, it was about time." They blushed. Luke noticed and chuckled. "So, we're all together here," he said. Sure enough, Percy noticed that several of the heroes that had died during the Titan War were there, all of them as solid as Luke. He grinned slightly when he saw Piper and Leo talking to Beckendorf and Silena.

"I'm guessing our friends over there had something to do with that," Percy said, nodding towards the two death gods and demigods.

Luke nodded. "Yeah, it's only temporary though. We'll go back to being ghosts after the books are done. They just thought it was easier for everyone this way as most ghosts have a hard time remembering the past."

Percy, Annabeth and Frank nodded at that.

"So, when are we going back to reading?" Annabeth asked, eager for the distraction this new development was causing.

"Not much longer," Rachael said.

"Finally!" Apollo cried out causing everyone to stare at him. He had the book in his hands and was holding it up for everyone to see.

"Yes, great job, you bested a book," Artemis said. "Now can we start?"

Apollo and Hephaestus nodded.

Zeus summoned the couches and chairs again and everyone sat down, ready to continue reading.

**Chapter 5: I Play Pinochle with a Horse **the book said in a voice similar to Apollo when he was mascarading as Fred.

"Percy!" Annabeth exclaimed. "Chiron is not a horse."

Percy sighed. So much for this being an easy chapter.

**I had weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.**

Everybody laughed.

"Oh, Percy, we missed your sense of humor," the Stolls said together.

Percy blushed. "Hey, in my defense it was my subconscious trying to make sense of the fact that my best friend is part goat and that I was just attacked by a bull-man."

**I must've woken up several times, but what I heard and saw made no sense, so I just passed out again. I remember lying in a soft bed, being spoon-fed something that tasted like buttered popcorn, only it was pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovered over me, smirking as she scraped drips off my chin with the spoon.**

Now Annabeth blushed.

**When she saw my eyes open, she asked, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"**

She shook her head. "I shouldn't have asked. Of course you wouldn't know."

**I managed to croak, "What?"**

**She looked around, as if afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"**

Luke looked guiltily down at his feet at that. Why had he been so stupid?

**"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I don't..."**

**Somebody knocked on the door, and the girl quickly filled my mouth with pudding.**

**The next time I woke up, the girl was gone.**

"Ahh, you're missing her already!" Aphrodite exclaimed.

**A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stood in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me.**

**He had blue eyes— at least a dozen of them—on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.**

Hera smiled at the mention of her faithful Argus.

*** * * When I finally came around for good, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.**

Most everyone winced.

**On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry. My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.**

**"Careful," a familiar voice said.**

**Grover was leaning against the porch railing, looking like he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradled a shoe box. He was wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops and a bright orange T-shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD. Just plain old Grover, Not the goat boy.**

**So maybe I'd had a nightmare. Maybe my mom was okay. We were still on vacation, and we'd stopped here at this big house for some reason. And ...**

"Somebody's in denial," Leo said.

Percy raised an eyebrow. "Do you blame me after what happened?" He glanced over at his mother and smiled. He hated that she would have to learn how much danger he was usually in but he was glad to finally see her again after so long.

**"You saved my life," Grover said. "I... well, the least I could do ... I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."**

Most of the Romans as well as Piper, Leo and Jason listened anxiously.

**Reverently, he placed the shoe box in my lap.**

**Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood. It hadn't been a nightmare.**

"Sorry, Percy," Grover said.

Percy grinned at him. "It's okay G-man. Everything turned out alright."

**"The Minotaur," I said.**

"And thus begins your stubborn need to break every rule and listen to no one," Annabeth said.

**"Urn, Percy, it isn't a good idea—"**

"Since when did I care?" Percy asked Grover who chuckled.

**"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" I demanded. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."**

**Grover shifted uncomfortably. "You've been out for two days. How much do you remember?"**

"Everything," Percy said.

**"My mom. Is she really ..."**

"No," Sally said. "I'm right here."

**He looked down.**

**I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight.**

"Thanks Percy," Thalia said smugly to some people's confusion.

**My mother was gone. The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look beautiful. "I'm sorry," Grover sniffled. "I'm a failure. I'm—I'm the worst satyr in the world."**

"No you aren't," Several of the Greek Demigods insisted.

**He moaned, stomping his foot so hard it came off. I mean, the Converse hi-top came off. The inside was filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole.**

**"Oh, Styx!" he mumbled.**

**Thunder rolled across the clear sky.**

**As he struggled to get his hoof back in the fake foot, I thought, Well, that settles it.**

"My life is a crazy circus and will never be normal," Percy said.

**Grover was a satyr. I was ready to bet that if I shaved his curly brown hair, I'd find tiny horns on his head. But I was too miserable to care that satyrs existed, or even minotaurs. All that meant was my mom really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.**

There was some gasps from a few people as they realized that she hadn't died.

**I was alone. An orphan. I would have to live with ... Smelly Gabe? No. That would never happen. I would live on the streets first. I would pretend I was seventeen and join the army. I'd do something.**

"You're not an orphan," Annabeth said. "And you'll become the most powerful demigod in the world and save Olympus,"

**Grover was still sniffling. The poor kid—poor goat, satyr, whatever—looked as if he expected to be hit.**

Percy muttered something and glared at Dionysus.

**I said, "It wasn't your fault."**

Before Grover could protest most of the Greek Demigods shouted, "It isn't."

**"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."**

"And you did," Percy said. "It isn't your fault my uncles were blaming me for something I didn't do."

**"Did my mother ask you to protect me?" "No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least... I was."**

**"But why ..." I suddenly felt dizzy, my vision swimming.**

**"Don't strain yourself," Grover said. "Here." He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.**

**I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies—my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay. Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.**

Most of the gods and demigods got content looks when they thought of Nectar and Ambrosia.

**"Was it good?" Grover asked.**

**I nodded.**

**"What did it taste like?" He sounded so wistful, I felt guilty.**

**"Sorry," I said. "I should've let you taste."**

"Yeah, and he would have burned up," Dionysus said.

**His eyes got wide. "No! That's not what I meant. I just... wondered."**

"I wasn't threatening you Grover," Percy said, rolling his eyes at his best friend.

**"Chocolate-chip cookies," I said. "My mom's. Homemade."**

**He sighed. "And how do you feel?"**

**"Like I could throw Nancy Bobofit a hundred yards."**

"Poor Nancy," Clarisse muttered, grinning.

**"That's good," he said. "That's good. I don't think you could risk drinking any more of that stuff"**

Percy and Annabeth shared a knowing look. It was similar to what almost happened to them, to what could still happen.

**"What do you mean?"**

**He took the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it were dynamite, and set it back on the table.**

Percy raised his hands in the air. "You see, this is why I didn't know anything in the beginning. Nobody would answer my questions or explain anything."

**"Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting."**

**The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.**

**My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Grover offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I wasn't going to let it go.**

"Nope," Percy said. "Some soveniers though," he added, a sly look coming over his face, "are best rejected or given away."

**As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.**

**We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.**

The Romans and past demigods listened in awe while those who had died got wistful looks kon their faces as they remembered it.

**Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoon-fed me popcorn-flavored pudding was leaning on the porch rail next to them.**

"Waiting for me?" Percy asked with a knowing grin.

"Of course," Annabeth replied smugly.

**The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like those paintings of baby angels— what do you call them, hubbubs? No, cherubs. That's it. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. **

Dionysus glared at Percy. "I do not!"

**He wore a tiger-pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've out-gambled even my stepfather.**

The wine god still glared at Percy but he huffed smugly at that.

**"That's Mr. D," Grover murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron... ."**

Percy shook his head. "Again with the lack of explanations."

**He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.**

**First, I realized he was sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognized the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, the scraggly beard.**

**"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.**

Percy smiled at his mentor who smiled back.

**The Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.**

"Smart," Annabeth and Athena said.

"Wicked!" Connor, Travis, Leo and Nico exclaimed.

**"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."**

**He offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."**

"And that's one of his good days," Nico said to the Romans who shuddered, even Dakota.

"And I thought Frank had it bad with his father," the Kool-Aid obsessed demigod muttered.

**"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice.**

Zeus's eyes darkened and he glared at his son. He better not have been.

**If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.**

"Well, you're definitely not a satyr," Connor said thoughtfully, pretending to survey Percy up and down.

"But you're not exactly right either," Travis finished copying Connor.

Everybody laughed at the two sons of Hermes.

**"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl. She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."**

"Hermes's Cabin," Nico explained to the Romans. "It's where demigods stay before their claimed since we don't have cohort like you."

**Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."**

**She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.**

Annabeth nodded. "I was."

**She glanced at the minotaur horn in my hands, then back at me. I imagined she was going to say, You killed a minotaur! or Wow, you're so awesome! or something like that.**

Annabeth got a look at her eyes and she turned to Percy and pretended to stare at him in awe like so many of his fangirls . "You killed a minotaur! Wow, you're so awesome!" she exclaimed in a fake, high—pitched voice.

**Instead she said, "You drool when you sleep."**

**Then she sprinted off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.**

She, along with most of the room, began to break down laughing. It took several minutes before the book could continue.

**"So," I said, anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?" "Not Mr. Brunner," the ex—Mr. Brunner said. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."**

**"Okay." Totally confused, I looked at the director. "And Mr. D ... does that stand for something?"**

"Percy," Annabeth moaned. She should have stayed and helped him.

**Mr. D stopped shuffling the cards. He looked at me like I'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason."**

"I have a reason," Percy said. "I just don't care."

**"Oh. Right. Sorry."**

**"I must say, Percy," Chiron-Brunner broke in, "I'm glad to see you alive. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."**

"You were definitely not a waste of time," Chiron said to Percy who blushed.

**"House call?"**

**"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct you. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met you. He sensed you were something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to ... ah, take a leave of absence." I tried to remember the beginning of the school year. It seemed like so long ago, but I did have a fuzzy memory of there being another Latin teacher my first week at Yancy. Then, without explanation, he had disappeared and Mr. Brunner had taken the class.**

**"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" I asked.**

**Chiron nodded. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood. But you still had so much to learn. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."**

Percy shook his head slightly. It hadn't been for him.

**"Grover," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"**

**"Yes, sir!" Grover trembled as he took the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.**

"At least he has the sense to be," Dionysus said.

**"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.**

**"I'm afraid not," I said.**

**"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.**

**"Sir," I repeated. I was liking the camp director less and less.**

"Agreed," Jason muttered to Piper.

**"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules." "I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.**

The Romans stared at Dionysus. Octavian's eye twitched and he looked like he wanted to knife a stuffed animal.

**"Please," I said, "what is this place? What am I doing here? Mr. Brun—Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"**

**Mr. D snorted. "I asked the same question."**

"I still don't know the answer," Dionysus muttered.

**The camp director dealt the cards. Grover flinched every time one landed in his pile.**

**Chiron smiled at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.**

"Good luck with that," Annabeth said.

**"Percy," he said. "Did your mother tell you nothing?' **

**"She said ..." I remembered her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told me she was afraid to send me here, even though my father had wanted her to. She said that once I was here, I probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep me close to her."**

**"Typical," Mr. D said. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"**

Most of the room glared at the wine god.

**"What?" I asked.**

**He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.**

**"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron said. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient."**

"Ah, so you didn't see it," Thalia said, smirking.

**"Orientation film?" I asked.**

**"No," Chiron decided. "Well, Percy. You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know"—he pointed to the horn in the shoe box—"that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either, lad. What you may not know is that great powers are at work in your life. Gods—the forces you call the Greek gods—are very much alive."**

"Like we didn't know that," Octavian muttered.

**I stared at the others around the table.**

**I waited for somebody to yell, Not! But all I got was Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal ! Trick!" He cackled as he tallied up his points. "Mr. D," Grover asked timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"**

**"Eh? Oh, all right."**

**Grover bit a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chewed it mournfully.**

**"Wait," I told Chiron. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."**

**"Well, now," Chiron said. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."**

"It's not really that different," Percy thought.

"Now's not the time to talk about this," Annabeth replied.

**"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"**

**"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."**

The gods glared at Chiron who blushed.

**"Smaller?"**

**"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class."**

**"Zeus," I said. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."**

Said gods looked smug.

**And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day.**

Several of the demigods rolled their eyes.

**"Young man," said Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around, if I were you."**

"Won't help," Percy said, smirking.

**"But they're stories," I said. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."**

**"Science!" Mr. D scoffed. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I flinched when he said my real name, which I never told anybody—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continued. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far.**

The demigods and mortals glared at him.

**And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."**

Chiron smirked. "To answer, Mr. D, Yes."

**I wasn't liking Mr. D much, but there was something about the way he called me mortal, as if... he wasn't. It was enough to put a lump in my throat, to suggest why Grover was dutifully minding his cards, chewing his soda can, and keeping his mouth shut. "Percy," Chiron said, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"**

"As I said before," Percy said, "No thank you."

**I was about to answer, off the top of my head, that it sounded like a pretty good deal, but the tone of Chiron's voice made me hesitate.**

Annabeth nodded. 'Good,' she thought.

**"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," I said.**

"At least I can die if I fall in battle," Thalia said.

**"Exactly," Chiron agreed. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you, Perseus Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how little boys can get over losing their mothers?"**

"Harsh," Percy said, "But you were right about me becoming a myth, just a lot sooner than you thought."

**My heart pounded. He was trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I said, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."**

"I do now!" Percy exclaimed at the looks he was receiving. "Otherwise I wouldn't be here."

**"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmured. "Before one of them incinerates you."**

Poseidon glared at Dionysus. "You will do no such thing."

**Grover said, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."**

**"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbled, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe.'"**

**He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.**

Dionysus shrunk under Zeus's glare.

**My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up.**

**"Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."**

"Exactly," Zeus growled.

**Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.**

**"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"**

Dionysus jumped as a small jolt of electricity struck him.

**More thunder.**

**Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.**

**Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."**

"I don't even want to know," Percy said.

**"A wood nymph," I repeated, still staring at the Diet Coke can like it was from outer space.**

Chuckles.

**"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."**

"For us," Percy said.

**Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.**

Percy just grinned at Dionysus's glare. "I stand by my thought."

**"And ..." I stammered, "your father is ..."**

**"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."**

**I ran through D names from Greek mythology. Wine. The skin of a tiger. The satyrs that all seemed to work here. The way Grover cringed, as if Mr. D were his master.**

**"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine."**

**Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days, Grover? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?" **

**"Y-yes, Mr. D."**

**"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"**

The Love goddess and her two daughters glared at Dionysus.

"Dionysus," Aphrodite said sweetly, "You better run." And with that she chased the wine god out of the throne room while everyone watched.

"Okay," Achilles said from his spot with the past heroes. "That was odd."

**"You're a god."**

Most of the demigods snorted.

**"Yes, child."**

**"A god. You."**

"Definitely not best example of a god for you to meet first," Nico said.

**He turned to look at me straight on, and I saw a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man was only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I saw visions of grape vines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turned to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I knew that if I pushed him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a strait-jacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.**

"Or I'm wrong," Nico said, grinning.

**"Would you like to test me, child?" he said quietly. "No. No, sir."**

"Percy's doing the smart thing!" Thalia gasped.

Nico chuckled beside her, blushing when he realized how relaxed he had become around her.

**The fire died a little. He turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."**

Chuckles of disbelief came from the room.

**"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."**

"As always," Chiron said.

**I thought Mr. D was going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighed through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He got up, and Grover rose, too.**

**"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."**

Grover groaned.

**Grover's face beaded with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."**

**Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."**

"Good advice, but useless with him," Annabeth said.

**He swept into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.**

**"Will Grover be okay?" I asked Chiron.**

**Chiron nodded, though he looked a bit troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been ... ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus." "Mount Olympus," I said. "You're telling me there really is a palace there?"**

The Greek and Roman demigods glanced at each other. This was where they would have to go and protect.

**"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."**

**"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like ... in America?"**

**"Well, certainly. The gods move with the heart of the West."**

**"The what?"**

**"Come now, Percy. What you call 'Western civilization.' Do you think it's just an abstract concept? No, it's a living force. A collective consciousness that has burned bright for thousands of years. The gods are part of it. You might even say they are the source of it, or at least, they are tied so tightly to it that they couldn't possibly fade, not unless all of Western civilization were obliterated. The fire started in Greece. Then, as you well know—or as I hope you know, since you passed my course—the heart of the fire moved to Rome, and so did the gods. Oh, different names, perhaps—Jupiter for Zeus, Venus for Aphrodite, and so on—but the same forces, the same gods."**

The Romans stared at Chiron.

**"And then they died."**

Now the stares turned to Percy who blushed. "I was in denial," he said.

**"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either—America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."**

"Reading a book about my chaotic life," Percy said.

**It was all too much, especially the fact that I seemed to be included in Chiron's we, as if I were part of some club.**

**"Who are you, Chiron? Who ... who am I?" **

There were looks as everyone remembered when they had once wondered the same thing.

"I still don't have the answer," Percy thought.

**Chiron smiled. He shifted his weight as if he were going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I knew that was impossible. He was paralyzed from the waist down.**

**"Who are you?" he mused. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it?**

Everyone nodded.

**But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."**

**And then he did rise from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I thought he was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he kept rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realized that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached. I stared at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.**

**"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."**

Percy grinned. "That was fun," he said, glancing at Clarisse who paled.

"So should we begin the next chapter or wait for Dionysus and Aphrodite?" Apollo asked.

The sudden pop as Dionysus appeared, huffing; followed by a fiery haired, scary Aphrodite answered the question.

_A.N.: So, this chapter was fun in the beginning. I settled the problem with Amphitrite there by sending most of the minor gods away but still letting them watch. There will still be conflict but this was a temporary solution and helped with the feeling of too many voices. This is it mostly for new arrivals until the next book. Sorry, to those who wanted to see the talk but I still have the other five books to go and I didn't want to reveal what they learned outright. Don't worry, I might write a one-shot with it or include it in the side story. _

_ So who liked the Luke, Rachael and Octavian conflict. I know I did. The three are so alike in ways but so different in others. I also loved the whole Aphrodite, Dionysus thing though I'm worried that was OOC. I hope it's not. Who wants to be compared to Dionysus (Except Smelly Gabe)? Please tell me if it was. Anyways it was funny._

_ Shout out to those who can point out the new past hero I gave a cameo to in their reviews. _

_**Marchtember-Oneteenth: **__I hope you enjoyed the little gift I gave you. Don't worry, there will be more to come as I said. Oh, the fun I am going to have. _

_**Anime Princess: **__Did I answer some of your questions? Don't worry, the Percy & Jason talk will come. Hazel and Frank didn't really have any lines in this but like I said, they feel like intruders. Only Octavian is really vocal enough to say anything and well, who listens to him? Tell me if you want that side-story._


End file.
